Starlight Sparkle
by Sin Oan
Summary: The student becomes the teacher when Twilight is given the job of educating Celestia's niece about the magic of friendship. How hard can it be?
1. Gobbledycook

**My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic**

_Starlight Sparkle_

Gobbledycook

* * *

><p>"Hi, have you seen Spike around?" Twilight Sparkle enquired for about the third time today. Ditzy Doo struck a contemplative pose for a moment as she pondered the question, before shaking her head to indicate that she did not know. With a dejected sigh Twilight turned away. She perked up a little however when she spotted Rarity emerge from Carousel Boutique.<p>

"Rarity!"

"Oh! Hello Twilight," the refined pony greeted her brightly, "I must say, Rainbow Dash did a simply superb job with the weather today, don't you think?"

"She sure did. Say, I don't suppose you know where I can find Spike? I need to send a report to Princess Celestia but I haven't seen him in hours."

"But of course," Rarity gently nudged Twilight around and pointed with a hoof, "He's at Sugarcube Corner with Pinkie Pie and Applejack. They're having some manner of contest I believe."

Twilight's ears stood up straight at this news, her eyes shining. "Oh! Thank you Rarity."

"Don't mention it. Well, I'm off gem hunting, take care now ..."

Sure enough Spike was at Sugarcube Corner just as Rarity said. As for what he was doing ...

"Ready, set ... go!"

Twilight gaped at the spectacle that presented itself as she entered the Ponyville bakery. Two long tables had been set up, both laden with food of all kinds. Cakes, pies, sweets and more besides, covering every available inch of table from one end to the other. At the head of one table was Spike, who was working his way down the line of food, shovelling it all into his mouth with alarming speed. At the next table over Pinkie Pie was doing the same, her tongue scooping food into her waiting maw as if she were a miniature pink tornado.

"What the ...?" Twilight blinked a few times until she noticed Applejack and Rainbow Dash bouncing up and down, cheering the feeding frenzy on. She sidled over to them and glanced back at pony and dragon wolfing down food like there was no tomorrow. "Dare I ask?"

"Twilight!" Dash exclaimed happily, "Check it out; Pinkie Pie and Spike are having a contest to see which of them is the biggest eater. My money is on Pinkie. Look at her go!"

"Hold your horses there," AJ cut in, stamping her hooves, "Don't go countin the lil feller out jus yet!"

Twilight rolled her eyes as both ponies resumed cheering the contestants on. An eating contest? Really? Oh well, she was just going to have to wait until they were finished. And from the look of it that wouldn't take very long. Good grief, they were both going at it like a pair of ravenous bottomless pits. Twilight stared in faint amazement as they finished clearing _all_ of the food laid out for them without so much as slowing down towards the end. Just how they were able to fit so many edibles inside themselves without bursting was a mystery.

"Huh ... I guess it's a draw then?" Rainbow raised a hesitant hoof to her mouth as both contestants licked their frosting covered lips clean. Next to her, Applejack hopped up and down on the spot gleefully.

"Not quite! Heehee, I _tole_ you not to count the little guy out!"

Twilight, Rainbow and Pinkie's eyes all grew wide as Spike, having devoured all food set out for him, proceeded to eat the _table itself_. His teeth - adept at breaking down gemstones for consumption - effortlessly reduced it to matchsticks. Everypony was dumbstruck as he swallowed the final table leg and let out a tremendous burp.

Applejack nudged Rainbow in the side and winked at her. "There's jus no toppin _that_. I reckon Spike is the winner here, am I right?" She chortled. Twilight blinked, almost at a loss for words after witnessing her tiny little baby dragon eat not only a table full of food, but the table the food had been laid upon as well.

"It sure looks like it."

Or so it seemed. They were all forgetting one very important thing, however. Spike was up against Pinkie Pie, and Pinkie Pie was ... well, _Pinkie Pie_.

If they thought they were shocked before, then a far stronger word was needed to describe their reaction upon witnessing what happened next. Not to be outdone in an all-you-can-eat no-holds-barred eating contest, Pinkie Pie one-upped Spike's accomplishment the only way she could.

She ate Spike.

Which is to say she wrapped her tongue around the little purple dragon and stuffed him into her mouth, which promptly stretched out into a vaguely Spike-ish shape. Pinkie then extended her front legs in a gesture of triumph, whilst Rainbow Dash fell over laughing. She sprang back up and nudged Applejack so hard that AJ almost fell over.

"You were _saying_?" Dash taunted.

Twilight shook her head until she regained her senses, then strode forwards. "Yes, well done Pinkie, I think we can safely say that you won. If it's not too much trouble could you please spit Spike out? I need him to send a letter to Princess Celestia for me."

The little dragon landed in a sticky heap in front of Twilight, covered in saliva and wearing a vaguely stunned expression upon his bewildered face. Pinkie Pie grinned widely.

"That was fun! We should do that again sometime!"

Spike groaned. "Ugh ... if it's all the same, I'd rather not ..." His cheeks puffed out for a moment and it looked as if he was about to throw up. Everyone reared back, ready to dive for cover if it became necessary to dodge any projectile dragon vomit. As it turned out there was no need - what issued from Spike's mouth was not regurgitated food, but a jet of green flames that materialised into a scroll.

A message from the Princess.

Twilight levitated the scroll with her magic and unfurled it, her eyes darting across the page as she read the contents within.

_My dear student Twilight Sparkle, I am deeply impressed with your progress so far. So much so in fact that I have a new assignment for you which I believe is well suited to your talents and experience. You have learned so much about magic that I would like you to teach what you have learned to my niece, Astra. Astra is a talented unicorn who holds a tremendous fascination for magic. Unfortunately I do not have the time to teach her myself. I am therefore sending her to Ponyville to study under your tutelage. I am certain that with your guidance and first hand knowledge, Astra can learn much from you._

"Your faithful teacher, Princess Celestia," Twilight finished reading the message aloud. The scroll hit the ground like a rock after she released her magical hold over it and stared off into space.

"Oh wow!" Pinkie jumped up and down excitedly, "Princess Celestia's niece coming to Ponyville? We should so throw her a welcoming party! Do you think she likes chocolate cake?"

Applejack wrinkled her muzzle at the prospect. "Not if she's anything like that uppity nephew Prince Blueblood. _Some_ ponies are jus too full of 'emself to hang around with us common folk."

Rainbow Dash was more concerned with Twilight, who had not moved even a smidgeon since she had finished reading the letter. The pegasus pony strolled over and waved a hoof in front of Twilight's face, which resulted in no discernable change.

"Uhh, Twilight? You okay? You look a little ..."

"Horrified?" AJ offered.

"I was gonna go with 'stunned', but yeah, horrified works too."

Spike got to his feet and tried to flick some of the saliva coating his scales off, which went about as well as mopping your face with a handkerchief whilst standing in the middle of a thunderstorm. He grumbled profusely at this, and Pinkie attempted to remedy the situation by licking him clean. This only resulted in him dripping with even more of her saliva. Eventually Rainbow Dash poked Twilight between the eyes and the unicorn blinked and shook her head.

"Me? Teach? _Me?_" She chewed at her lip, "I can't teach the Princess's niece! I mean ... what do _I_ know about _magic_?"

Applejack and Rainbow Dash exchanged looks that said 'I'm not gonna state the obvious answer to that'. Twilight remained oblivious to this and promptly laid down on the floor, her front legs covering her head as if she were afraid something might explode. After several seconds of staring into space again with fearful eyes, she let out a low whimper. Finally Spike marched up to her face and extended his claws in a gesture intended to emphasise his point.

"Twilight, what are you worrying about? You'd make an awesome teacher! What you don't know about magic could probably fit on the head of a pin!"

"He's right sugarcube," Applejack nuzzled Twilight, "Don't ye go fretting yourself none. If anypony can teach somepony about magic, it's you."

"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, "And just remember we're behind you 120% of the way!"

Twilight lowered her legs and lifted her head up a little, her previous anxiety slipping away in the face of her friends overwhelming confidence in her. It was a comfort to know that they had such faith in her. And they were right! She could do this. She _would_ do this. After all, how hard could it be to teach one unicorn a thing or two about magic?

Right?


	2. A Royal Welcome

**My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic**

_Starlight Sparkle_

A Royal Welcome

* * *

><p>It wasn't every day that you got a visit from royalty (just every other day, when you happened to be Celestia's prize student). Ponyville decided to roll out the red carpet treatment for the arrival of Princess Astra that afternoon, and there were banners and streamers and even a band standing by outside the pavilion. Virtually everypony had turned out to be there to greet her when she showed up, and for some the excitement was almost too much.<p>

"Can you believe it?" Pinkie Pie yammered, trembling with boundless enthusiasm, "Are you excited? I'm excited. I haven't been this excited since the Grand Galloping Gala. I wonder what she's like. Do you think she's pink? Or purple? Or yellow? Or green?"

Twilight groaned. "Yes Pinkie, I think Princess Astra is a bright green pony. With pink polkadots and a fluffy yellow mane made from cotton candy."

Rarity let out a snort of disgust. "I certainly hope not! I can scarcely imagine such a garish looking sight."

"Well whatever colour she is, I just hope she gets a move on," Rainbow Dash complained, stifling a yawn, "She's ten minutes late already. That's ten minutes I could have spent napping."

Sure enough, Astra _was_ quite late. Twilight assumed she would be flying in somehow, yet the skies remained clear. Ten minutes turned into twenty, then half an hour. When Astra was forty minutes late and still showed now sign of making her appearance, some ponies began to voice concerns that she simply wasn't coming.

"I just don't understand it," Twilight frowned, "I got a letter from Astra saying she would be arriving in Ponyville by this time. What could be keeping her?"

"Oh! A guessing game! I love guessing games!" Pinkie bounced around Twilight and began listing random ideas off the top of her head. "Maybe she fell down a well! Or maybe she forgot to reset her clock for Summer Sun Time! Or maybe she got lost!"

Applejack chuckled at that. "_That_ wouldn't surprise me in the least. Some city ponies cant tell their flank from their withers once they set hoof in the country."

Spike had a more sinister suggestion to offer however. "Maybe ... maybe she was abducted by a UFE!"

Silence, punctuated by pointed pony stares.

"A UFE?" Twilight repeated, knowing that she would regret asking but not being able to help herself. Spike nodded, the tips of his claws tapping together nervously.

"An Unidentified Flying Equine!" he whispered loudly (a difficult yet still doable feat). His gaze darted from side to side before continuing. "They snatch unsuspecting ponies, perform horrifying experiments on them, then drop them off in the middle of a cornfield with _no memory_ of ever being taken in the first place."

For the most part this suggestion was met with all the scepticism it rightly deserved, however Pinkie Pie treated the idea seriously and gasped in horror at the notion of such a thing. She leaned towards the little dragon and lowered her voice, as if afraid somepony might overhear.

"Really? What does a UFE look like?"

"That's just it," Spike paused for dramatic effect, prompting an eye roll from Twilight, "_Nopony knows_!"

"Oh please!" Twilight flicked her head in annoyance at Pinkie's ensuing overreaction, "If nopony has ever seen them and anypony that gets taken has no memory of them, then how exactly does anyone know they even exist in the first place? Where do the stories even come from?"

Whatever the reason for Astra's continued absence, it persisted well into an hour after she was supposed to show. Finally Twilight apologised to everypony, whereupon the assembled ponies departed and returned home. Twilight resolved to get back to the library and write a letter to Princess Celestia as soon as possible, in case something serious had happened to Astra. With Spike in tow, she pushed open the door to her residence and strode in.

"Spike, fetch some ink and parchment, we need to-" She stopped and stared. Her staring rapidly turned into gawking. And no wonder.

"Twilight Sparkle! So nice to finally meet you," Astra greeted her warmly from amidst a huge stack of books, "I have to say I was a little worried when you didn't show, but luckily I was able to find my way here ..."

"Princess _Astra_?" Twilight exclaimed, not quite believing her eyes, "When did you get here?"

Astra paused to consider for a moment before answering. "Umm, about an hour ago. I did send word I was coming. I had hoped you would meet me off the train-"

"The train?"

"Why, yes, I took the train here from Canterlot. Is something wrong? Should I have not done that?"

Twilight blinked and gawked some more. "But ... I thought ... we had a big welcoming parade ready to greet you at the town square! We waited for over an hour!"

Astra seemed genuinely astonished, then somewhat embarrassed. "Oh! Oh? Oh, but you really shouldn't have gone to all the trouble. I'm nopony special, honestly."

Spike tugged at Twilight to get her attention and then silently jabbed a finger to indicate the stacks of books and cases of luggage occupying much of the floor space. Astra noticed and bowed her head a little.

"Err yes, I didn't know what reference materials you would have on hand, so I went ahead and brought everything I thought I might need."

She had in fact brought so many books that they could easily open up a second library in Ponyville with them all. Twilight's gaze swept from one (remarkably neat) pile to another, before returning to Astra.

"I did mention you'd be staying at a library, didn't I?"

Astra considered that. "You did, yes. Oh well, you can never have too many books, right?" She pasted a forced smile on her face, while Spike struggled to locate a means to cross from one end of the room to the other. He finally gave up and turned back to Twilight.

"You can if you need a trail of breadcrumbs to find your way," he muttered sullenly.

Between the three of them they succeeded in relocating the majority of Astra's books to the basement, reclaiming the library floor in the name of space, freedom, and the ability to walk more than two steps without falling over. Twilight was finally able to get a good look at Astra, and saw that she was not bright green and covered in pink polkadots. Astra was a white unicorn with an inky black mane and wide blue eyes, and had three golden stars for a cutie mark. She also seemed to have the same knack for organising that Twilight had, and they soon had everything neatly tidied up and in an orderly fashion.

"Phew!" Twilight wiped her brow, "All done. Well Princess Astra, make yourself at home. I hope you enjoy your stay here in Ponyville."

Astra beamed happily at her. "I'm certain I will, and I'm very much looking forwards to learning from you Twilight."

"You ... are?" Twilight sounded a little dubious. Astra nodded enthusiastically.

"Of course. Celestia has told me so much about you, and I've read all about your exploits as well."

"You've _read_ about me? Where?"

Astra opened her mouth to answer, then gestured to indicate that Twilight should wait right there. She zipped off down to the basement and then returned seconds later, levitating a slender volume over to the purple pony. She hovered the book in front of Twilight and then opened it at the relevant page.

"_Unique Unicorns of the Modern Age_," Astra recited the book's title as Twilight magically took a hold of the item in question, "Page 73 - Twilight Sparkle. I checked it out from the Canterlot library of magic so many times that they gave the book to me and stocked another copy on the shelves."

Twilight was flabbergasted. There was a picture of her, and two whole pages detailing her adventures. Defeating Nightmare Moon and Discord, taming an Ursa Minor ... there was even mention of her entrance exam for Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns!

"I ..." Twilight stammered, "I had no idea. Wow."

"Does it say anything about me in there?" Spike caught the book when Twilight released her hold over it. "One sentence! That's all? I'm Twilight's Number One Assistant, and all I get is one lousy sentence? Sheesh!"

Twilight sighed and turned her attention back to Astra with a faint smile. "I hope you don't mind Princess, but I promised to take some things over to my friend Fluttershy."

"Oh I don't mind at all, and please, just call me Astra," she insisted meekly, "'Princess' makes me sound far more important than I actually am."

"Okay Astra. Say, why don't you come along with me? I'm sure Fluttershy would love to meet you. She takes care of a lot of different animals, but you needn't worry, they don't bite." She considered for a moment before adding; "Mostly."

A look of sudden ... alarm? Panic? Uneasiness, perhaps, flashed across Astra's face. She quickly covered it up with a false smile and shook her head from side to side, backing away from Twilight a few steps. "Thank you for the offer, but ... I ... I'll just stay right here and get settled in. If that's okay."

"Of course. If you need anything just ask Spike, he'll be more than happy to help you."

Spike bowed deeply. "One dragon extraordinaire, at your service."

"Wonderful!" Astra grinned. "Oh look, is that a telescope?" And with that she shot off like a bullet, leaving a vaguely bemused Twilight and Spike standing around looking at the space she had recently occupied. Feeling somewhat uneasy herself, Twilight lowered her head and whispered to Spike.

"Keep an eye on her, will you?"

The baby dragon saluted. "You can count of me."

Astra seemed friendly enough, but there was just something about her that Twilight couldn't quite put her hoof on. It was probably nothing.

Probably.


	3. All Work and No Play

**My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic**

_Starlight Sparkle_

All Work and No Play

* * *

><p>Over the next few days Twilight spent a good portion of her time doing exactly what Princess Celestia had asked of her - teaching magic to Astra. This proved to be far easier than she had anticipated, as Astra was a phenomenal student. She already had a firm grasp of the basics, was studious and hard working, intelligent and talented. Twilight had only to set her a task and it would be done quickly and efficiently. When she told Astra to read a particular textbook or codex, she would either do so diligently, or inform Twilight that she had <em>already<em> read it and was familiar with the subject. And not once did she grumble or complain or slack off.

In short, Astra made Twilight's job easy. It was almost too good to be true. Just to try and test Astra to her limits, Twilight asked her to write up an extremely complex and difficult essay on elemental transmutation. A very advanced subject that Twilight herself was in the process of studying, and had only just begun to wrap her horn around. Really, it should have been too much for her. Nevertheless the following day Astra bounded up to Twilight, proudly presenting the finished essay for Twilight's perusal.

"I ... don't know what to say, Astra," Twilight said, somewhat amazed, "This is incredible. Honestly!"

"Oh, umm, thank you Twilight." Bashful, Astra was unable to meet her gaze. Twilight reread several of the passages she had written and was practically floored by how brilliant they were.

"I can't fault your work here," Twilight continued, "You're a real genius."

Astra stared fixedly at the floor and pawed at it with her hoof, saying nothing. Sighing, Twilight rolled up the essay scroll and floated it back to Astra. "Well done. In fact you can take the rest of the day off. You've been working so hard these past few days that you must be exhausted."

Now Astra did meet Twilight's gaze, her eyes growing wide. "Oh, but I'm really not! Set me a test, an exam, assign me some more studying, I really don't mind."

Twilight stared at her. She sounded genuinely enthusiastic. Really, the more time she spent with Astra, the more the unicorn reminded her of herself. It was like looking into a mirror. Twilight let out a short laugh.

"It's great that you take studying so seriously Astra, but you've been here three days now. Don't you want to get out of the library? Get some fresh air? Meet some new ponies?"

She could tell by her expression that she did not. Astra seemed to try and find the appropriate words to express herself, but then settled on just shaking her head. Twilight then had to mentally correct herself - _almost_ like looking into a mirror. Astra was more like Twilight _used_ to be, before she had come to Ponyville. Now though, as much as Twilight still liked to study and learn, she also enjoyed going out and spending time with her friends. Astra ... not so much.

"Look, I'm having lunch today with my friends. You should come along and meet them, they've all been asking about you. At the very least you can say hello, right?"

Again, she could tell that even this was asking too much of her. Astra's horn glowed with an aura of magic, and Twilight watched as the unicorn deliberately spilled ink all over her newly written essay.

"Oh dear!" Astra cried out in very fake tones of distress, "How clumsy of me, I've completely ruined the essay you asked me to write. There's nothing for it, I'll just have to stay here and write the entire thing out again."

Twilight stared at the scroll, now covered in thick dark splotches and quite unreadable. She considered pointing out that Astra really didn't need to write the whole thing out again, but since the accident was so obviously an intentional excuse for her to avoid going out, Twilight didn't bother. She sagged instead.

"O-kay then, you do that ..."

She groaned as Astra bounded off. She might be the perfect student, but Princess Astra was far from being the perfect pony. Twilight got the impression that Astra would rather spend a week cracking a complex cypher code than take five minutes to go out and make some new friends.

She really was just like Twilight herself had been a few years ago.

* * *

><p>"You see?" Twilight explained the situation to her friends over lunch. "Astra excels at magic, but the notion that <em>friendship<em> is magic is completely alien to her. I don't think she even has any friends back at Canterlot."

A thoughtful expression clouded Rarity's features as she considered the matter. "Now that you mention it, I haven't heard a single thing about her from any of the ponies in Canterlot. It's almost as if she-"

"Spends all her time locked away in a library somewhere?" Twilight suggested. She sighed and sipped at her drink through a straw. "I'm starting to think Princess Celestia had an ulterior motive in sending her niece here ..."

"Maybe she's just really shy?" Fluttershy offered, soft spoken as always, "It could be that she's too scared to go out and meet new ponies."

"Oh! Oh! I know!" Pinkie Pie bounced up and down in her seat and waved a hoof in the air to get Twilight's attention, "Why don't we throw a party for her? We can invite lots of ponies and introduce them all to her, that way she's bound to make some new friends!"

Fluttershy gave Pinkie Pie a deeply worried look. It was the kind of look she was good at. "But if she really _is_ shy then that would be just _awful_ for her."

Pinkie frowned, as if puzzled by Fluttershy's words. "Why? Parties are fun. Everypony loves a party. If we throw a super duper fun party for Astra, how can she _not_ like it?"

"Look Twilight, the solution is simple!" Rainbow Dash announced, her voice brimming with self-assured confidence as always. Twilight shot her a sceptical glance.

"It is?"

"Of course. You're her teacher, which means you can tell her what to do."

"It's not quite that-" Twilight started to say before Rainbow interrupted.

"_So_ just give her an assignment that involves working outdoors with somepony. That way she has to get out of that stuffy old library _and _she gets to spend time with someone."

Twilight considered the suggestion, and so did Applejack, who clopped a hoof down on the table. "Hey! That's a mighty fine idea. Twilight, why don't you send her to Sweet Apple Acres to help me pick some apples? I'm a right friendly sort, I bet we'd get along like a barn on fire!"

Her friends all murmured their assent, and Twilight had to admit that it sounded like a perfect idea. Applejack was one of the friendliest and most easygoing ponies in Ponyville, Astra would be bound to get along with her.

"Sounds like a plan!"

* * *

><p>Astra was less than thrilled with the prospect of leaving the library and going outside, but Twilight made it clear that this was a work assignment to help out Applejack. Astra nevertheless stuck close to Twilight as they strolled through Ponyville, and practically wilted under the stares she drew from the various residents.<p>

"Well hi there y'all!" AJ greeted them when they arrived at Sweet Apple Acres. She hurried forwards and shook Astra's hoof exuberantly as she introduced herself. "You must be that Princess Astra I bin hearin so much 'bout. Nice to finally meet you!"

"Err ..." Astra stared at her hoof, which was being shaken to such an extent that it was little more than a blur.

"I'm Applejack, and this here is mah apple farm." AJ finally relented and let go of Astra, turning to address Twilight now. "Got a prime crop of fresh apples that needs a pickin. Y'all set to work up a sweat?"

"We sure are," Twilight assured her. They followed Applejack to the farms' apple orchards, and Twilight was relieved to see that Astra had perked up a bit. She even seemed vaguely curious.

"Hokay now, pay attention y'hear," Applejack stopped before one of the trees, which was bristling with plump juicy looking red apples. "What y'do first is place these here baskets underneath the apple tree like so-" AJ pointed to indicate the empty baskets she had put in position before they had arrived. "Then you engage in one of mah favourite pastimes; applebucking!"

They watched as AJ kicked the tree with her hind legs, knocking the apples from the high branches and into the waiting baskets. Applejack regarded the baskets, now brimming with apples, and turned and beamed at them.

"An _that_ is how we do it right here on the farm."

Astra contemplated the matter carefully for several long moments, her gaze shifting from the tree to the baskets full of apples. She glanced around at the apple orchard, apparently conducting some manner of mental calculation. Finally she turned back to Applejack.

"So if I understand correctly, the object of the exercise is to remove the apples from the branches and gather them in a suitable container?" she queried. AJ smiled and nodded.

"That's right, easy as apple pie. Think yer up for it?"

Astra looked from AJ to Twilight, who were both watching her carefully. She frowned at them.

"Could you show me one more time how you do it?"

"Sure thing sugarcube."

Applejack positioned some empty baskets beneath a second tree and repeated the procedure, once again flawlessly filling the containers up with a single stout kick. Together she and Twilight turned and beamed encouragingly at Astra.

Except Astra was gone.

"What the hay?" AJ exclaimed, searching about for her. There was no sign of the pony princess whatsoever. More than that, Twilight soon noticed something even more astonishing.

"Oh you have _got_ to be kidding ..."

Somehow - and never had the word been more appropriate, because neither of them could see _how_ - while Applejack had been applebucking the second tree, Astra had conjured up several dozen empty baskets _and_ filled them with apples from the waiting apple trees. And then vanished. There was a note pinned to one of the baskets with a message in Astra's writing.

_Glad to be of help_  
><em>- Astra<em>

Twilight stared at the note and then rolled her eyes. She had no doubt that Astra would be on her way back to the library, if she wasn't already there. Meanwhile AJ gaped at the baskets full of apples, her jaw slack.

"Well wallop my withers, that girl can fair move some when y'aint watchin her."

Twilight strolled passed Applejack whilst exuding an air of mild annoyance. "Thanks for trying Applejack, but I guess it's back to the drawing board ..."


	4. Close Encounters of the Pinkie Kind

**My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic**

_Starlight Sparkle_

Close Encounters of the Pinkie Kind

* * *

><p>"Now you're getting the hang of it," said Rarity, giving Astra an encouraging smile. She stood back as Spike went to work, digging through the ground to unearth the pile of gleaming gems that Astra had located. Within seconds Spike had the bundle safely deposited in the cart alongside all the others. As he did so, he licked his lips at the faceted crystals, his eyes shining with hunger.<p>

"Not now Spike, you can have some when we're done," Rarity chastised the little dragon, "Now then, where was I? Oh that's right; I was wondering why it was we never saw you at last years Grand Galloping Gala. Surely _you_ would have been invited?"

Astra narrowed her eyes as she concentrated on locating the next batch of gems, her horn glowing with magic. "I was busy."

"Too busy to attend the _Grand Galloping Gala_?" Rarity sounded horrified, "My _dear_ lady, what in all of Equestria could possibly take precedence over the social event of the year? Especially for a princess!"

Astra mumbled something.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that." Rarity leaned towards her, listening more intently. Astra bowed her head, her expression one of painful embarrassment.

"I was helping them reshelve all the books in the Canterlot library of magic," Astra repeated, enunciating her words more clearly this time, albeit reluctantly.

Rarity fainted.

"Don't worry about it, she's fine," Spike assured Astra. The princess looked from him to Rarity, then back again.

"Happens a lot does it?"

"Now and again, yes."

The fashionista unicorn went from lying flat out to up close and in Astra's face in less than a second, her eyes burning with an almost deranged look as she grabbed a hold of the princess.

"_Why_?" Rarity demanded fiercely, "I mean, if _I_ were a princess I would attend every high society event in Canterlot, and I most certainly wouldn't miss out on the Gala to ... to ..." She grimaced as if in pain, "_Reshelve a library_!"

Astra wilted under her blowlamp glare and averted her gaze. Rarity made it sound like the crime of the century. "I'm just not much of a party pony, sorry. I really don't like attention, or large groups of people."

Rarity relented and released Astra, regaining her normal composure and dignity. She sighed heavily and glanced at the cart full of gems. "Life is so full of cruel irony, Astra. Ah well, I suppose we have enough gemstones to be going on with. Let's head back."

They returned to Carousel Boutique and Rarity thanked them both for their assistance. Astra bid her a good day and departed, eager to return to the library. On the way back, Spike seemed especially nervous, and kept casting her awkward sideways looks. All of which Astra completely failed to notice. When the two of them finally arrived at the library, Spike cleared his throat loudly.

"So, umm ... Astra? Did you mean what you said earlier?"

"About what?"

"Oh, you know, the whole ... not liking parties. Or large groups of ponies. You didn't really mean that, did you?"

Astra's eyes bulged at him. "Mean it? Of course I meant it!" She wailed, sagging before the tiny purple dragon. "Celestia threw me a surprise party for my last birthday. Invited all of the Canterlot nobles. And a band. _And_ the Wonderbolts."

Spike gave a hasty smile and gestured at her. "Well that sounds nice!"

"Nice?" Astra snapped bitterly, "I had a panic attack. In front of everyone. I've never been so humiliated in my entire life. Believe me Spike, I'd sooner traipse through a hydra infested swamp than go to another party. I'd rather sleep on a bed of rusty nails than face a crowd of ponies. I hope I never have another surprise party for as long as I live, even if I live for a million years!"

With that she perked up and trotted past Spike, who gaped for a moment and then waved frantically as he tried to prevent her from going into the library.

"Astra, wait! Don't go in there!"

"SURPRISE!"

Astra stopped and stared in utter horror at what confronted her within the Ponyville library. Streamers. Balloons. Punch. Cake. Music. Banners. And ponies. Lots and lots of ponies. All looking at her.

"Aww, will you look at that!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed cheerfully, bouncing up and down in front of the stricken princess, "She's so happy she's speechless! C'mon everypony, come and say hello to Astra, and lets get this party started! Woohoo!"

Astra was paralysed with shock, while behind her Spike sidled over to Twilight and drew his hand across his throat in a hasty gesture. Twilight completely failed to catch his meaning.

"Spike, what are you doing? Never mind, did everything go okay with Rarity?"

"Twilight, I think the party was a _big _mistake!" Spike tried to tell her. She frowned at him.

"Mistake? Oh come on Spike, I'm sure Astra will be having lots of-" She turned to regard the princess, who was currently being bombarded by Pinkie Pie in full party mode, and looked as if she was faced with something unspeakably mind-numbingly terrifying. Twilight faltered. "Fun?"

Pinkie Pie giggled and nudged Astra so hard she almost bowled her over. "Come on Astra, dance! Shake that booty! YAY!"

Overwhelmed by the loud music, the staring ponies, and of course Pinkie Pie at her best, Astra couldn't cope. Her horn flared brightly for a moment and then she was gone in a flash of light. Everypony stopped what they were doing and gaped in astonishment, all save Pinkie, who had her eyes closed and was busy dancing to her hearts content.

Twilight glanced at Spike and then looked at the empty space where Astra had been. She groaned.

"Drat, I knew I shouldn't have taught her how to do that ..."

* * *

><p>Astra popped out of thin air several feet above the river that ran through Ponyville, smoke curling from her mane in grey wisps. She hovered there for a second until gravity suddenly noticed her, whereupon it did its thing. She flailed her legs frantically but there was nothing for her to gain purchase on, and so she plunged rather unceremoniously into the glittering water.<p>

She landed with a predictable splash and vanished from sight, only to break the surface a moment later, now sopping wet. Looking thoroughly miserable she spat a jet of water from her mouth and sighed glumly.

* * *

><p>Twilight located her twenty minutes later at Rarity's, her mane wrapped in a fluffy towel as she dried off under a warm blanket. She did not look happy.<p>

"Won't you at least give the party a chance?" Twilight pleaded with her, "I promise I'll make sure Pinkie Pie tones it down a little."

Astra sneezed and then gently rubbed her snout. She glared at Twilight and shook her head.

"Twilight Sparkle, I was sent to Ponyville to study magic, _not_ to party. Besides, if Celestia found out I was shirking my studies to have fun and party, there's no telling what she might do!" Astra's eyes grew wide with fear and she gave a sharp intake of breath. "She might banish me! Or imprison me! Or banish me _and then_ imprison me in the place where she banished me to!"

Twilight scoffed at that. "Oh _please_. You make her sound like an ogre. Princess Celestia would never do anything like that, much less to her own niece!"

"Oh _really_?" Astra challenged, leaning closer to Twilight, "So the stories about how she banished her sister Luna and imprisoned her in the moon ... not true?"

"Of course n-" Twilight began to say before she stopped herself. She gawked at Astra for a moment and then looked sheepish. "Okay, that one's true. But she had a really good reason!"

Astra sat back and sulked. "Either way I'm staying put. Rarity says I can sleep here tonight. If it's all the same to you, I'll see you bright and early first thing tomorrow morning."

Twilight glanced across at Rarity, who gave her a helpless shrug. Finally she sighed and dipped her head. "Fine. But if you change your mind, feel free to come on over and enjoy yourself. Once Pinkie Pie gets a party going there's no stopping her ..."

* * *

><p>And indeed there wasn't. The party continued well into the night despite Astra's complete absence. After all there was no sense wasting a perfectly good party once one was going, was there?<p>

It was quite late when the party finally wrapped up and Pinkie Pie emerged from the library, waving goodbye to Twilight and Spike as she went. The stars were out and the sky was clear, the moon shining brightly across Equestria. Pinkie hummed happily to herself as she made her way home to Sugarcube Corner.

"Oh wow, the stars sure are pretty tonight," Pinkie observed, stopping to stare up at the glittering sky above her. As she did so, she noticed that one of the stars was moving. Which was odd, because stars weren't supposed to move, were they? Not unless they were shooting stars, and this one certainly didn't look like a shooting star. It changed direction, for one thing. And it was getting bigger. And brighter.

"Is it supposed to do that?" Pinkie wondered aloud as she watched the thing. Her eyes widened as the star in question seemed to draw near, growing so large now that it was like a miniature sun hovering above Ponyville. Pinkie stared at the thing, mesmerised by it.

"Oooohh ..."

Suddenly a beam of white light lanced out from it, strobing across the sky. It swept back and forth until finally it seemed to notice Pinkie Pie, whereupon it zeroed in on her. She was bathed in the pale white light of the beam, which pulsed brightly.

And then Pinkie was gone.

The beam vanished and the searing star shot off into the night sky.


	5. Colts in Black

**My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic**

_Starlight Sparkle_

Colts in Black

* * *

><p>Twilight had been so worn out last night after the party that she had gone straight to bed, resolving to clean up the mess in the morning. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but waking up to the sight of a Pinkie party aftermath was not the best way to start the day. Nevertheless she and Spike got stuck in, and pretty soon Astra showed up and helped out as well.<p>

"So did you have a nice time at Rarity's last night?" Twilight enquired as she magically steered a broom across the floor, sweeping the detritus accumulated there. Astra nodded as she took down a paper chain.

"She's very nice. Reminds me of the ponies back in Canterlot. And she has the most adorable little sister too."

"That would be Sweetie Bell. Have you heard her sing? She has an amazing-" Twilight stopped as something caught her eye. Setting the broom down she pointed her horn and levitated the item in question out from the corner of a bookcase. As she did so she gasped with delight.

"What is it Twilight?" Spike rounded on her and then caught sight of the thing she had discovered. Almost at once his eyes shone with rapt adoration, his tongue hung out of his mouth and he began to drool.

"Oh you found it," Astra remarked, strolling over to Twilight's side. She frowned. "I thought I had it packed away in my luggage. However did it end up there?"

What Twilight had found was in fact a large bluish purple gemstone shaped like a star. Its beauty was dazzling to behold; the way it caught the light and shone radiantly, suspended in Twilight's magical aura. Spike was hypnotised by it.

"Is this what I think it is?" Twilight asked, breathless. Astra nodded.

"A Starlight Sapphire, yes."

"But ... I thought they were just an old pony tale."

"They are, I made this one myself last year. It's artificial. Crystallized starlight. Pretty neat, huh?"

"I'll say ..." Spike murmured, making slurping sounds as he continued to gaze in abject admiration at the star stone. "I bet it's delicious."

Astra regarded the stone for a moment and then seemed to lose all interest in it, returning to cleaning the library. "Keep it. I was going to make it into a necklace, but I don't think the colour suits me. It'd look nice on you, though."

"Oh no, I couldn't ..." Twilight stirred her hoof in a faintly embarrassed fashion, "This is one of a kind."

Astra sighed as she levitated a strewn book back into its proper place on the shelf. "Then let Spike eat it-"

Spike nodded emphatically.

"-or give it to Rarity, I really don't mind. Say, do you suppose we could go over Starswirl's thesis on stellar astronomy? I heard a rumour that he hid a secret code in his-" Astra was cut off abruptly when a multi-coloured blur crashed into her and pinned her to the ground. She cried out in surprise, then gaped in astonishment as she found Rainbow Dash perched on top of her, holding her down.

"Alright Astra, what have you done with her?" Rainbow demanded, her face contorted with anger, her tone challenging. Twilight shook her head from side to side, not quite believing what she was seeing.

"Rainbow!" she shouted when at last she accepted what her eyes had just witnessed, "What are you doing?"

Rainbow barred her teeth at Astra. "Pinkie Pie was supposed to meet up with me this morning, but she never showed. I checked at Sugarcube Corner, and Mr and Mrs Cake say she never made it back last night. No one has seen or heard from her since the party. She just vanished!"

Astra cringed at the aggressive pegasus pony. "W-what does that have to do with m-me?"

"Yes Rainbow, what _does_ that have to do with Astra?" Twilight demanded coldly. Rainbow Dash remained undeterred.

"You were angry at Pinkie for throwing that surprise party, weren't you! What'd you do? Lie in wait for her until she made her way home so you could get some payback?"

"Of course not!" Astra insisted, "I spent the entire night at Rarity's Boutique! Ask her if you don't believe me!"

Twilight levitated Rainbow Dash up and away from Princess Astra, setting the pegasus down a short distance away. "She's not lying Rainbow, and besides, Astra wouldn't do anything to hurt Pinkie. She's just not that kind of pony."

Rainbow Dash calmed down somewhat but continued to eye Astra suspiciously. "Oh yeah? Well ... where's Pinkie Pie then? I asked around Ponyville and no one knows!"

Astra picked herself up, looking visibly shaken. She was just about to say something when Applejack barged into the library, puffing and panting as if she'd galloped all the way there. She had.

"There y'are! Did I hear tell Pinkie Pie was missin?"

"Yeah! Have you seen her?" Rainbow Dash asked. To their collective surprise she nodded emphatically, her eyes wide with fear.

"I found her on mah way into town. You are not gonna _believe_ this ..."

* * *

><p>Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy stared at it for a long moment, then looked at each other. They were flying side by side.<p>

"Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?" Dash asked, not quite sure if she could believe it. Fluttershy seemed equally uncertain.

"I don't know, I've never seen one before. I thought it was just something Spike made up."

Pinkie Pie had been found, alive and seemingly unharmed. Actually, finding her had been quite easy given where she was.

Sitting in the middle of a crop circle.

"Pinkie Pie, talk to me!" Twilight urged, "Are you okay?"

Pinkie Pie blinked at her and smiled her usual smile. "Well of course I am silly! Why wouldn't I be? Wow, that was one doozy of a party last night! I don't even remember walking home." She finally seemed to notice where she was and frowned. "Hey, wait a second - this isn't Sugarcube Corner."

"Err, no, it's a wheat field on the outskirts of Ponyville. Don't you remember how you got here?"

Pinkie Pie shook her head and tried to walk a few steps, whereupon her legs decided to all go in different directions. She collapsed in a heap and then giggled. "Oh boy, just how much did I have to drink last night?"

"Pinkie, how many hooves am I holding up?"

Pinkie narrowed her eyes and concentrated. "Five?"

Applejack had found her sitting in the middle of the field, blinking in an apparent daze. All around her the wheat had been flattened down in an intricate circular pattern. There was no indication as to what had caused it, though Spike was quick to shout out 'UFE!' at the top of his voice. A small crowd of ponies was growing at the edge of the field, and nervous whispers were flying about. Strange lights had been seen in the sky last night. As silly as Spike's ideas were, some ponies were beginning to take them more seriously now.

"See?" Astra said hotly as Rainbow Dash touched down, "I had nothing to do with this!"

"Alright, I'm sorry. But what _did_ happen to her?"

"I'm telling you all, this was the work of Unidentified Flying Equines!" Spike insisted. Twilight groaned loudly and rolled her eyes.

"Like I keep telling you, there's no such thing! That's just a load of old hooey! I mean who really thinks Pinkie Pie was abducted by little green ponies from outer space?"

"Alright, we'll take it from here."

Everypony turned to see who had said this. It was a brown earth pony dressed in a plain black suit, wearing a dark fedora hat and dark sunglasses. A second brown colt stood beside him, the two so similar in appearance that they might have been twins. Twilight strolled over to the one that had spoken as he approached.

"Who are you?" she asked, curious. Whoever they were, they weren't from Ponyville. She'd never seen either of them before.

"I'm Agent Muldavia, and this is Agent Skulduggery. CIA."

"CIA?"

"Canterlot Intelligence Agency." Agent Muldavia flashed her an official looking badge. Rainbow Dash floated just overhead, glaring at the pair with evident suspicion.

"Never heard of it."

"That's just the way we like it," said Agent Muldavia. Agent Skulduggery nodded.

"We're the first-"

"Last-"

"And only line of defence-"

"Against the worst scum-"

"In the ponyverse."

"Stand aside please."

The two mysterious colts in black were not alone. Twilight and her friends watched in astonishment as an entire team of ponies dressed in hazmat suits moved in on the area. They pushed back the crowd of ponies that had gathered and began setting up a yellow and black striped tape perimeter around the crop circle. Black clad pegasus ponies darted about overhead, snapping pictures with cameras, whilst several of the ponies in hazmat gear began assembling strange looking equipment. The two CIA ponies approached Pinkie Pie, who blinked at them with a faintly bewildered expression.

"Are you the one?" Agent Skulduggery asked her. Pinkie tilted her head as she regarded him.

"No, I'm the two," she said, and then giggled. The CIA agents exchanged blank looks.

"Were you the one taken last night?"

Pinkie Pie considered the question and then nodded. "Yup. I was quite taken with the punch last night. It was yummy! And I was taken with Princess Astra. Isn't she nice? She's just a little shy."

Again the CIA agents exchanged looks.

"Disoriented."

"Confused."

"Classic symptoms."

"Agreed."

"Lookie here, jus what in Equestria is goin on?" Applejack demanded, "What happened to Pinkie, and how in tarnation did this big circle thingy turn up in the middle of the field like this?"

The agents turned and stared at her, an act made even more unsettling because of the dark sunglasses they were both wearing.

"I'm afraid that's classified information," said Agent Muldavia.

"Young lady, you're going to have to come with us," said Agent Skulduggery to Pinkie Pie. She stood up rather unsteadily, wobbled for a moment and then bounced up and down a few times.

"Okay dokay lokay!"

"Hold on just a second," Twilight inserted herself between Pinkie and the CIA ponies and held out a hoof to stop them, "Where are you taking her?"

"To our Grooming Lake facility at Area 15."

"But you can't just waltz in here and make off with her! She's our friend!"

"This is a matter of national security, lady. By the authority invested in us by Princess Celestia, I hereby quarantine this wheat field _and _your friend," Agent Muldavia informed her coldly and efficiently. "Kindly vacate the area immediately."

They next thing they knew they were all standing on the other side of the yellow and black tape, watching Pinkie Pie loaded into an ominous black carriage that was pulled away by jet black ponies. The last thing they heard was-

"Do you mind if we stop for breakfast? I'm so hungry I could eat a house!"

-and then she was gone. They all stood around in bewildered silence for a while, until finally Twilight stomped her hoof, a determined expression set on her face.

"Okay, that does it. Something strange is definitely going on here, and I'm going to find out what it is!"


	6. Invasion of the Pony Snatchers

**My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic**

_Starlight Sparkle_

Invasion of the Pony Snatchers

* * *

><p>Doctor Geronimo stared through the two-way mirror and into the observation room beyond. In the three years he'd spent working as chief xenobiologist of Area 15, he'd never once encountered anything as bizarre or unusual as this. The subject defied rational explanation. She certainly <em>looked <em>like your average run of the mill earth pony, but in this case appearances were certainly deceiving. For instance, even though she was currently pulling funny faces in front of the mirror, Geronimo was certain she was not as stupid as this made her seem.

He nervously straightened his bow tie and then glanced down at the clipboard, which contained his observations thus far.

**Subject:** Pinkamena Diane Pie, aka 'Pinkie Pie', aka _Pinkius Piekus_  
><strong>Age:<strong> Unknown (claims she can't remember)  
><strong>Gender:<strong> Female  
><strong>Race:<strong> Earth Pony  
><strong>Cutie Mark:<strong> Three balloons  
><strong>Hobbies:<strong> Baking, ice skating, partying, singing  
><strong>Likes:<strong> Laughter, cake, chocolate, chocolate cake, parties, pranks, Gummy, friends  
><strong>Dislikes:<strong> Mean ponies, rock farming, quiet parties, parasprites  
><strong>Place of residence:<strong> Sugarcube Corner, Ponyville  
><strong>Occupation:<strong> Confectioner and baker  
><strong>Abnormalities:<strong> Can predict the future with unerring accuracy. Hyperactive personality. Prone to spontaneous bouts of singing. Able to defy the laws of physics under certain circumstances. Possible source of synchronicity.

"What'cha doin?" Pinkie Pie asked. Doctor Geronimo jumped, startled by her. She was standing right beside him and had been leaning over and reading his clipboard as well. With wide eyes he stared at her, then glanced back through the mirror to the observation room. It was now empty, even though the door to it remained shut and locked. He turned back to her, gaping in astonishment.

"How on _earth_ did you do that?" he asked.

"I'm an earth pony," Pinkie answered brightly, "I'm always on earth. Except when I'm jumping. Or flying. Or upstairs. Say, what does synchronicity mean?"

"It means meaningful coincidences. Do you mind? I'm supposed to be observing you!"

Pinkie Pie leaned forwards and inhaled sharply. "I _love_ your bow tie! Bow ties are cool, aren't they? Oh! You know what? You should wear a hat. Hats are cool too. Especially fez hats. They're super cool!"

Growing annoyed, Geronimo pointed sharply at the observation room. "Pie - room - now."

Pinkie Pie let out a long, irate groan. "But I'm hungry!" she complained. "I haven't had anything to eat since the party last night, and it's already lunch time! Don't you at least have any snacks around here?"

"Here, have some jammie dodgers," Geronimo levitated a plate of biscuits over to the pink pony. Her expression lit up at once and she scooped all of the jammie dodgers from the plate with her tongue. The Doctor set the plate back down and watched as she swallowed the lot, then licked her lips with a loud slurping sound.

"Better?"

"Much!"

As Pinkie Pie bounced back to the observation room, Doctor Geronimo brandished his quill and clipboard.

**Conclusion:** I'm not qualified to make one. Nopony is.

* * *

><p>The first thing Twilight did was send a report to Princess Celestia, telling her what had happened and asking if she could arrange for Pinkie's release. If the CIA really did get their authority from the princess then presumably she could order them to let Pinkie go. With a puff of green flame Spike sent the letter on its way.<p>

Together she and Astra then spent all morning pouring through the books, trying to find anything about pony abductions and crop circles. By the time the afternoon rolled around however, they were both about ready to give up. There simply wasn't anything remotely like it written down anywhere.

"This is useless!" Twilight bemoaned, slumping down amidst a pile of reference books and indexes. A short distance away Astra shut the book she had been flipping through and scowled. Her horn glowed as she magically lifted a photograph of the crop circle.

"I just _know_ I've seen this pattern somewhere before," she insisted irritably, "But where?" She groaned and released the photograph, unable to remember. While the two unicorns wallowed in gloomy silence, Spike appeared with a bulging backpack and a smile on his face. Twilight eyed him suspiciously.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm joining Apple Bloom, Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo for their first sky watching session tonight."

Twilight stared at him, inviting him to explain.

"UFEs, Twilight! The whole town is talking about them. Last night Lyra, Minuette and Ditzy Doo all saw strange lights in the night sky. A whole bunch of us are setting up a camp just outside of Ponyville to see if we can spot anything."

Twilight growled and rolled onto her back in an overly dramatic fashion. "Not this again! How many times do I have to say it Spike, there's _no such thing_ as UFEs!"

Spike crossed his arms defensively. "Well how do _you _explain what happened to Pinkie Pie then?"

Twilight sat back up and scowled, more annoyed at herself than with Spike. "I ... can't. Not yet. But I'm working on it."

The library door burst open and in rushed Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. They were all wearing tinfoil hats and carrying cameras around their necks. They skidded to a stop and beamed at Twilight.

"Hey Twilight!"

"Hi Twilight."

"How's it going Twilight?" asked Sweetie Belle. She noticed Astra and waved to her. "Hey Astra!"

Astra waved back. "Hello Sweetie Belle. Umm ... why are you wearing that strange hat?"

"Oh this?" She reached up and adjusted her shiny headwear. "It's to protect us from the UFE mind probes."

Twilight managed to look even less amused than she already was. Her rational mindset wanted to scream at everyone's behaviour. "Mind probes," she repeated heavily. Scootaloo reached around and produced a small white envelope.

"Hey Twilight, some guy stopped us outside and asked us to give you this."

"Some guy? Who?"

"Don't know. Never seen him before. Gave me some money to do it though."

Twilight magically floated the envelope to herself whilst the three fillies rounded on Spike. "All set?" Apple Bloom asked him. Spike gave them the thumbs up.

"You bet. Let's go!"

They each pressed a hoof together and let out a cheer. "CUTIE MARK CRUSADER ALIEN ASTRONOMERS! YAY!"

And then they were gone, taking Spike with them. Astra and Twilight were left to check out the contents of the envelope Scootaloo had been tasked with delivering. It turned out to contain a small folded up note with a hastily scribbled message.

_Meet me at the fountain in the Town Square, tonight. Make sure you aren't followed._  
><em>- Deepsnout<em>

"What do you think that's about?" Astra asked, her curiosity piqued. Twilight didn't have the faintest idea, but with the current UFE craze, the CIA involvement and that damned crop circle, it was a fair bet that this Deepsnout pony wanted to talk to her about whatever it was that was going on in Ponyville. With no useful leads to go on, there was nothing else for it.

"I'm not sure, but it looks like we've got a date at the fountain tonight ..."

* * *

><p>The fountain in question contained a statue of a pink earth pony balancing on a ball. Twilight and Astra were waiting for a good twenty minutes after dark before their mysterious appointment appeared. He was a grey earth pony with shifty eyes and a large 'X' for a cutie mark. Gaze darting about as if afraid he was being watched, Deepsnout approached the two unicorns and spoke in a hushed voice.<p>

"You weren't followed were you?"

The melodrama was getting a bit too much for Twilight. She rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Oh, somepony tried to tail us but I think we lost them."

"Really?" said Astra, oblivious to Twilight's sarcasm. Twilight shot her a despairing look.

"Would you mind telling us who you are and why you wanted to see us like this?" she asked eventually. Deepsnout cast one final look around the square before sidling closer to her.

"I'm a reporter with the Equestria Daily," he hissed, "I understand you're investigating the crop circle that appeared this morning?"

"That's right," said Astra eagerly, "Do you know anything about it?"

"I should say! This isn't the first time it's happened y'know."

"It isn't?"

"No. Four crop circles appeared around Canterlot. In each case a pony went missing the night before, and each night strange lights were seen in the sky."

"You're kidding," said Twilight a shade sceptically. Deepsnout shook his head, then reached around and produced a series of photographs clutched in his teeth. Twilight and Astra peered closely at them. Several of them were of crop circles like the one Pinkie Pie had appeared in. All of them made in the same pattern - a single large circle surrounded by four smaller circles. Once again Astra felt a stab of recollection, but couldn't quite place where she'd seen the design before. There were also snapshots of a bright shining light hovering in the sky, as if a star had detached itself from a constellation and soared down on Equestria.

"There was no obvious connection between any of the ponies taken," Deepsnout informed them after he tucked the pictures away again. "They seemed to have been snatched at random. Just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"What happened to them?" Astra asked, "Were any of them hurt?"

"No. Just confused. Couldn't remember a thing. The whole thing started about a year ago. The CIA has been investigating ever since, but they don't know what's been causing it. Whatever it is, this latest event is the first one to happen away from Canterlot."

"That's strange ..." Twilight raised a hoof to her mouth in a thoughtful gesture, frowning as she considered the implications of this. Deepsnout whipped his head back and forth as if he was trying to look in every direction at once. He was one deeply paranoid pony, that was for sure.

"I can't say any more than that," he hissed, "Keep searching Twilight Sparkle; the truth is out there!"

And with that he was gone, darting off into the night. Twilight watched him go and then sighed wearily. "Well _that_ was a lot of help. Even knowing all that, I don't think we're any closer to figuring this thing out than we were this morning. Come on Astra, lets get back ..."

The two of them trudged back towards the library in silence. The streets were empty, the inhabitants of Ponyville either sound asleep or up on a hill somewhere peering at the night sky for signs of intelligent life amongst the stars. At least it was a nice night for it; the stars were out in full force, and a full moon shone brightly upon Equestria. Astra stared at it for a long while. For so long in fact that she walked into a building.

"Astra! Are you alright?"

Princess Astra lay flat on her back after rebounding from a wall she had collided with. She was too stunned to answer, and not because of the obvious reason that she had just walked right into a wall. She was stunned because something inside her mind had ignited. A dim recollection that now roared to life and burned fiercely in the forefront of her memory.

The crop circles.

Astra's eyes grew wide with horror as the realisation hit her. It was her fault. All of it. She _had _seen that pattern before. One big circle surrounded by four smaller circles. Only she hadn't seen it in a field, or a book. She'd seen it in the sky. The moon, surrounded by four bright stars. Just over a year ago. On the eve of the thousandth Summer Sun Celebration.

The Mare in the Moon.

_Nightmare Moon._


	7. Starstruck

**My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic**

_Starlight Sparkle_

Starstruck

* * *

><p><em>The Mare in the Moon: Myth from olden pony times. A powerful pony who wanted to rule Equestria. Defeated by the Elements of Harmony and imprisoned in the moon. Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about night time eternal.<em>

Twilight lowered her copy of Predictions and Prophecies and watched as Astra paced in a highly agitated state back and forth across the library floor.

"You wanna run this one by me again, Astra?"

"Don't you see?" The pony princess stopped pacing and rounded on her, her face wracked with guilt. "It was me! I freed Nightmare Moon! The stars aided in her escape all right - thanks to me. My name even means 'the stars'."

"I still don't exactly follow. What did you do?"

Astra dropped to the floor and covered her eyes with her legs as if ashamed. "My experiment. On the eve of the thousandth Summer Sun Celebration, at the very instant that Nightmare Moon returned, I performed a powerful magical ritual." She lowered her legs and gazed at Twilight with huge, fearful eyes as she continued.

"You know the stories about Starlight Sapphires? Magical gemstones formed from crystallized starlight. I created a special lens to focus and trap starlight, so I could artificially make a Starlight Sapphire. In order to make a really special one, I decided to wait until the stars aligned around the moon in the moments leading up to the Summer Sun Celebration. I then used my lens apparatus in conjunction with a powerful spell in order to form an actual Starlight Sapphire."

"So?"

"_So_ I captured the light from the four aligned stars reflecting from the moon's surface. A side effect of the process was that while my experiment was running, a bridge of magical starlight existed between the moon and Equestria. I never thought anything of it at the time, because I never believed the Mare in the Moon was anything but an old pony tale. But Nightmare Moon _is_ real, and that starlight bridge I created must have allowed her to escape her prison in the moon and return to Equestria."

Twilight glanced at the entry in the book once more. It contained an illustration of the moon complete with a lunar mare design to signify the presence of Nightmare Moon. Surrounding it was four stars. Twilight recalled the night of the alignment quite vividly, as it occurred at the end of her very first day in Ponyville. She recalled as well the appearance of Nightmare Moon, a frightening experience at the time. If it hadn't been for Twilight and her friends, the sun would never have risen again. But then if it hadn't been for Nightmare Moon, it was quite possible Twilight wouldn't have even come to Ponyville and met her friends in the first place.

Either way she could see it clearly now. The illustration of the moon and the four stars represented the same visual pattern as the crop circles. The real question now was, if Astra was correct, then what was the connection between Nightmare Moon's return over a year ago and the crop circles and pony abductions now?

"Oh no!" Twilight snapped the book shut and stared off into space, a horrible thought occurring to her. Astra whimpered.

"'Oh no'?" she parroted, "Don't tell me it gets _worse_!"

"I think I might know what's been going on, and if I'm right ..."

Oh no indeed.

* * *

><p>"Were are we going?" Astra called out to Twilight as she hurried to catch up with her. The purple unicorn galloped through the streets of Ponyville and prayed that it was not too late.<p>

"If I'm right, we need to destroy that Starlight Sapphire before it finds what it's looking for!"

Which wouldn't have been a problem if she had kept a hold of it. Unfortunately Twilight had elected to give the star stone to Rarity, who had of course been over the moon to receive such a splendid gift.

"Finds what it's looking for?" Astra said as they stopped outside of Carousel Boutique, "It's a sapphire. How can it be looking for anything?"

Twilight hammered on the door with her front hooves, creating an awful racket. After several agonisingly long seconds the door opened to reveal Rarity, who was mercifully unharmed.

"Twilight, Astra, whatever is the matter?"

"Rarity! Where's the sapphire I gave you earlier?"

Rarity blinked in surprise and glanced back into the shop. "It's on the table over there-"

Twilight barged past her before she could even finish, narrowing her eyes at the glittering blue gem. Sure enough it lay innocuously upon a table alongside several other gemstones and dress making materials. Twilight lowered her horn and aimed it at the sapphire.

"Stand back, I'm going to hit it with everything I've got!"

Rarity's eyes bulged with alarm and she threw herself in front of Twilight, legs outstretched as if she were defending a poor defenceless filly. "Twilight Sparkle, get a hold of yourself!"

"Stand aside Rarity, this is a matter of life or death!"

Rarity scoffed. "Oh now you're just being silly. Nopony ever died because of a sapphire. In any case I will _not _allow you to destroy something _so_ magnificent!"

"Rarity, please!"

It was no use, Rarity refused to budge, and any attempt Twilight made to get a clear shot at the sapphire only resulted in her friend moving to block her aim. Growing increasingly frustrated and worried, Twilight called out to Astra.

"We have to destroy it!" Twilight urged her.

"But-"

"Please trust me on this!"

Astra looked from Twilight's pleading expression to Rarity's staunch determination. On the one hand Twilight Sparkle was her mentor. A hero. A pony Astra admired and looked up to. On the other hand she quite liked Rarity, who had been very kind to her. Astra didn't want to upset her by destroying the thing she clearly loved so much. What should she do?

Before she could make up her mind the decision was taken out of her hooves. Perhaps sensing what was going on, the Starlight Sapphire rose from the table and shone with a brilliant white light. They all gaped in astonishment at it, especially Rarity, who very nearly fainted from shock.

Recovering from the spectacle, Twilight shook her head and aimed her horn once again. It was no use though, as the shining sapphire shot through the air above their heads and escaped out the open door. Astra spun around in time to see it soar into the night sky.

"What in Celestia's name just happened?" Rarity demanded, utterly bewildered by what had just transpired. Twilight drooped and groaned.

"It got away is what happened. Now we're in trouble."

She saw that both Astra and Rarity were giving her earnestly questioning stares and decided that it might be worth risking a few seconds delay to explain the problem to them. First she filled Rarity in on what Astra had told her back at the library, then she elaborated on the sapphire itself.

"I don't know for sure about this, but given what we've just seen I don't think I'm too far off the mark," she said patiently, "When Astra released Nightmare Moon during last years Summer Sun Celebration, it's possible that Nightmare Moon's dark magic tainted the Starlight Sapphire, imbuing it with a sort of ... unnatural life of its own. Every so often it journeys out at night and searches for a pony to possess."

"The abductions," said Astra, finally beginning to understand. Twilight nodded.

"Right."

"But everypony taken simply woke up the next morning in the middle of a crop circle. Why?"

"It needs power. The stronger the pony the greater the potential. I think it's searching for a pony with magical abilities on the same level as Princess Luna, or at least as close as possible." Twilight paused to make sure she had their full attention before she went on. "We're talking about the same dark magic that transformed Luna into Nightmare Moon. If that sapphire finds a suitable pony, then at the very least we'll have _another_ Nightmare Moon on our hooves."

"At the very _least_?" Rarity goggled at her, on the verge of panic, "What could possibly be worse than that?"

Twilight trotted over to the Boutique's front door and stared up at the starry night sky. She swallowed. "Well can you imagine what would happen if that thing found Princess Celestia?"

Astra and Rarity exchanged startled looks. They didn't _want_ to imagine something like that. Twilight was right, they needed to destroy that sapphire. Rarity joined Twilight in standing at the doorway and staring up at the sky.

"It's awfully late though, I can't imagine anypony is out and about at this time of night. Surely we're safe for the moment?"

"I wouldn't be too sure about that ..."

They turned to face Astra, who fixed Twilight with a deeply worried look and raised a hoof to her head. "Tinfoil hats, remember?"

Twilight gasped. "Oh horse apples!"

How could she have forgotten so soon? Spike, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and who knew how many other ponies had a camp set up just outside of Ponyville. And they were waiting to catch a glimpse of the very thing that had just taken flight.

* * *

><p>"I heard they're hairless apes that wear clothes and talk jus like anypony," said Apple Bloom. Scootaloo snorted at that.<p>

"Nah. What _I_ heard was they're green tentacled monsters with dripping fangs and two heads!"

"You're both wrong," Sweetie Belle waved a hoof to dismiss their suggestions as to what the aliens were really like, "They're ponies, but they're all grey, have big bulging heads and huge black eyes. And no tail or mane, either."

"Do they have cutie marks?" Apple Bloom asked, tilting her head as she considered Sweetie Belle's version of the aliens. The little unicorn shook her own head in response.

"Nope."

"Hey, in that case maybe we could invite one of them to join the Cutie Mark Crusaders! If'n they don't have their cutie marks neither, I bet we could offer t'help 'em out!"

All three ponies stared off into space as they tried to imagine what it would be like to have an alien filly as a member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

"_Cool!_" they said in unison.

A short distance away Spike watched as Rainbow Dash strutted impatiently around in circles, growing increasingly restless. The pegasus pony had joined the Ponyville sky watch because the prospect of flying against a UFE was too alluring to resist. Rainbow Dash was already confident that she was the best flier in all of Equestria by far, but how would she fair against a flying pony from another world? There was only one way to find out, and if any flying alien ponies decided to show up she would be ready for them.

"How fast do you reckon they can go?" she asked, trying to picture a race with one of them. "They'd have to be able to fly pretty fast to even get here in the first place. I wonder if any of 'em has ever seen a sonic rainboom before. How cool would it be if I got to show off my flying skills to a whole other world full of ponies!" She laughed and took to the air in a brief display of aerial acrobatics, only to crash into Ditzy Doo who was also airborne at the time. The two pegasi hit the ground in a tangled heap.

"Ouch!" Rainbow rubbed at her now very sore snout and winced in pain. "Hey, why don't you watch where you're flying?"

Ditzy shook her head several times and tried to fix her crossed eyes upon Rainbow Dash, without much success.

"Oh gosh, are you both alright?" Fluttershy trotted over and leaned close to check on them. "You really should be more careful about flying when it's so dark."

"Good advice," said a familiar voice. Everypony turned and stared in awe at the sight of Princess Celestia, who stood at the edge of the UFE camp with none other than Pinkie Pie smiling at her side. Fluttershy let out a gasp of delight and glomped the pink pony, so happy was she to see her.

"Pinkie Pie!" Rainbow exclaimed excitedly, "You're back!"

Princess Celestia was overjoyed to see how thrilled they were to have their friend back, and glanced down at Pinkie. "When I received Twilight's letter this morning, I personally saw to her release from Area 15. I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience caused; the CIA do take their work very seriously ..." She raised her gaze and noticed the other ponies gathered about, all whom were bowing out of respect for her. "If you don't mind me asking, what are you all doing outside so late at night?"

They explained to her about the UFEs, repeating the story of what happened to Pinkie Pie last night, and showed her the crop circle which was still taped off in an adjacent field to the one they'd set up camp. The Princess listened with interest until they were finished and then cast her eye over the assembled ponies. "I see. Is Twilight Sparkle not among you?"

Spike crossed his arms and let out a faint scoff. "Twilight thinks it's all a bunch of nonsense. She doesn't believe in UFEs at all, even with everything that's happened."

"Maybe she changed her mind," said Pinkie, juddering to a stop beside Spike and pointing with her hoof. "Look, here she comes now! Hey Twilight!"

No one save Pinkie noticed Twilight, Rarity and Astra galloping towards them at breakneck speed. They were all preoccupied with staring up at the sky, their attention fully drawn to the bright glowing light darting to and fro. Gasps of delight and awe escaped their lips, and so distracted by the sight were they that they didn't even notice when Twilight started yelling as she drew nearer.

"Oh my gosh!" breathed Spike, astonished, "A UFE. An actual UFE! They really do exist!"

The glowing light finally appeared to notice the gathering of ponies and abruptly changed direction, shooting through the sky towards them with such speed that even Rainbow Dash was impressed. It hovered overhead, giving them all a superb and unrivalled look at it, dazzling them with its radiant beauty. Even Celestia was speechless while confronted by such a thing.

A bright beam of white light stabbed out from the hovering star and swept over the group of ponies, further entrancing them. It moved from one to the next, as if examining each one intently, until it reached the Princess. When it did it remained fixed upon her and did not move on.

What occurred next happened so quickly that many of them had to replay it in their minds eye before they fully understood what they had just seen. As the beam of light shone down upon Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle leapt out of nowhere into the path of the beam just as it pulsed with energy.

She vanished.

"Twilight!" her friends cried out in shock and dismay. The beam disengaged and the brilliant shining star shot straight up into the sky. Rainbow Dash rocketed after it, leaving a faint rainbow hue in her wake. The air slapped at her like a tidal wave due to the sheer speed of her rapid pursuit. Just as she was about to catch up with the star, it abruptly changed direction and arced downwards. Dash screeched to a halt and turned about to watch it go.

"Get back here, you!" she called after it furiously. Her anger was wiped away an instant later however, when the star hit the ground far bellow.

And exploded.


	8. Reign of Fire

**My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic**

_Starlight Sparkle_

Reign of Fire

* * *

><p>Everypony rushed to the crash site, desperate to see if Twilight had somehow survived. It was difficult to see how. The star had slammed into the field at an alarming rate, and then exploded into a brilliant ball of fire that very nearly lit up the night sky. Her friends were either on the verge of panic or tears. In some cases both.<p>

The first thing they noticed as they drew near was that a crop circle had formed, in the exact same pattern as the one in which they discovered Pinkie Pie. But where Pinkie's crop circle had been flattened out, Twilight's circle was the result of scorched wheat. The circles were each outlined by lingering flames, creating five rings of fire.

And in the centre of it all was Twilight.

The good news was that she was certainly alive, and did not appear confused or dazed as Pinkie had been. The bad news was that she didn't look remotely like the Twilight they all knew.

"T-Twilight?" Spike murmured hesitantly, eyes wide with fear at what stood in the middle of the largest circle. Everypony stopped short of actually approaching her, too alarmed by her radically changed appearance to know what to do. Even Celestia was at a loss for words.

For one thing she was taller and sleeker, her build now making her resemble Princess Celestia and Luna. She was also shockingly white, save for a faint golden outline. Her eyes were now completely red, like two fiercely glowing embers, and were devoid of pupils. The most startling feature was her tail and mane, which more resembled actual flames than they did hair. Fluttershy, Pinkie and Spike had seen her briefly transform into something similar once before, when she had been enraged beyond words, but that had lasted mere seconds.

Twilight regarded herself, glancing this way and that, admiring her new form with an expression of arrogance that was completely out of character for her. Finally she snorted and strolled out of the burned crop circle, approaching the group of astonished ponies.

"Twilight Sparkle ... what has happened to you?" Celestia asked her, the only one present able to find the will to speak at that moment. Twilight stopped and narrowed her all-red eyes at the Princess.

"You ought to know, Princess," she said, her voice dripping with menace, "You're the one with a pet phoenix. I've been reborn from fire and ash as a brand new pony. And I must say, it's about time."

"Twilight, cut it out!" Rainbow Dash shouted, sounding no more confident than she felt, "You're scaring us!"

Pinkie Pie shrank back from Twilight, trembling at the sight of her. "I'll say; my knees are pinchy!"

"Oh shut up," Twilight snapped, scowling at them as if they were a nuisance, "I'm through listening to your whining little insignificant voices."

"Twilight Sparkle, you are clearly not yourself," Celestia said, winning first prize for most obvious statement of the evening. Behind her Fluttershy and the Cutie Mark Crusaders cowered in fear in the face of this new Twilight, who sneered at the Princess.

"Clearly. Not a bad thing, if you ask me. I've spent far too long being a hard-working goody four-hooves." She smirked in a worrying fashion and paced up and down in front of the assembled ponies, her snout in the air in a haughty fashion and her fiery mane crackling. "Well not anymore. I'm through being the pony people come to for help. Living in a _tree_ in this backwater no-name town of country hicks. With all the talent and power _I_ have at my disposal I should be running Equestria, not babysitting an annoying lovesick dragon or mentoring a socially inept bookworm ..."

At this Spike cringed and stared at the ground, whilst Astra winced and looked away. Narrowing her eyes, Rarity strode forwards intent on confronting her transformed friend.

"Twilight Sparkle! That is _not _you saying these awful things! You have been corrupted by Nightmare Moon's magic; you have to fight it!" She stamped a hoof to punctuate her point. Twilight stopped pacing and regarded Rarity as Applejack might regard an especially bad apple.

"Oh be quiet Rarity, the last thing I need is a lecture from a gaudy talentless hack like you."

Rarity's eyes bulged. "Gaudy? Talentless? Why I ... you ... how _dare_ you!" She took a deep breath as she prepared to launch into a rebuttal, but Twilight's horn glowed and Rarity's mouth quite literally zipped shut with a zipper, muffling her words.

"Much better. I should have done that the first moment we met."

"That is enough!" Celestia said, her voice so commanding and powerful that everypony present save for Twilight wilted in fear. Twilight merely smiled.

"You're right Celestia, that _is _enough, which is to say I've had quite enough of _you_. I'm through living under your shadow." Twilight drew herself up to her full and now much more impressive height, pawing at the scorched ground with a hoof. "The student has finally surpassed the teacher, Celestia. Your reign is _over_ from this day forth. There's a new princess in town, and her name is Twilight Sparkle!"

As she said this her horn released a blinding flash of light. When it cleared, Twilight extended her new pegasus wings proudly, to the frank astonishment of the other ponies. She took to the air and hovered above the group, leering at them all as if they were as figuratively beneath her as they were literally.

"I'll be waiting for you in Canterlot, Celestia. Come and give me your best shot. I'll show you _just_ how much I've learned over the years."

With that her horn flared with a fiery aura and she was gone, teleporting away from the burned field and the gaping, frightened ponies. In the deafening silence that followed, Astra let out a plaintiff wail of despair and slumped to the ground.

"This is all my fault!"

"Your fault?" Rainbow Dash and Spike said in unison, staring at her. Before anypony could ask her what she meant by that, it began to rain, despite it being a cloudless night. This was because it wasn't raining water. Quite the contrary.

It was raining fire.

* * *

><p>All across Equestria fireballs rained down from the sky as if the stars themselves were falling. The damage they caused was relatively minor, but panic swept across the land. Nothing so strange had been witnessed since Discord's return.<p>

Once Celestia had been brought up to speed with regards the Starlight Sapphire and Nightmare Moon, she wasted no time in returning to Canterlot. She brought Twilight's friends with her, informing them that they would need to wield the Elements of Harmony in order to purge Twilight of the dark magic that now corrupted her.

By the time they arrived at Canterlot Tower where the Elements were stored, the fire rain had ceased. None of them were in any doubt that Twilight was still out there however, just waiting for Celestia to make her move. As they made their way up the tower to the chamber where the Elements of Harmony lay, Astra walked alongside Celestia and shot the Princess a look of immense guilt.

"I'm so sorry," she said, her voice pained, "None of this would have happened if it wasn't for me. I've really made a mess of things haven't I?"

"Astra," Celestia began soothingly, "You mustn't blame yourself for this. There was no way you could possibly have foreseen that this would happen."

As earnest as Celestia sounded, Astra couldn't quite bring herself to believe her words. How could she not blame herself? She had not only freed Nightmare Moon, she'd also created the Starlight Sapphire that now possessed Twilight Sparkle, turning her evil. If anyone was to blame for this sorry state of affairs, it was surely her. She tried _so _hard to learn and become a useful, capable unicorn, and yet she couldn't even _study_ without putting all of Equestria in danger.

"I have what might seem like a silly question," said Applejack as Celestia approached the sealed chamber containing the Elements, "Jus how exactly are we supposed to stop Twilight when we be _needin_ her to make the Elements work in the first place?"

The five ponies all exchanged worried looks at that, perhaps recalling the time when they had failed to stop Discord using the Elements due to Rainbow Dash not being with them. There were six Elements altogether, and six ponies required to wield them in unison. What were they supposed to do when one of those ponies was the target?

"Well I'm sure Celestia will think of something ..." Rarity offered, though she didn't sound very convinced. Either way they needed to get the Elements first, and the last time they had been in such a dire situation to warrant using them they had been stolen before Celestia could even retrieve them. Hopefully Twilight had not already done so.

The assembled ponies let out a sigh of relief as Celestia opened the jewelled container she had removed from the vault. Sure enough the Elements of Harmony lay snugly within, untouched. They had not been stolen.

"Why thank you my little ponies!" said Twilight Sparkle. They all turned and saw her standing a short distance away with a wicked smile upon her ghostly face. Her horn flashed, teleporting the box with the Elements to her side. It hovered next to her for a moment as she regarded it, only to vanish an instant later. Twilight turned her attention back to them and grinned. "That saved me a _lot_ of trouble."

Celestia strode past the other ponies and glared at her. "Twilight! Stop this!"

"You're _so_ very predictable, Celestia. Discord was right, you're such a bore. Whatever shall I do with you?"

"What did you do with the Elements?"

Twilight smirked knowingly. "I've sent them somewhere for safekeeping. Someplace nopony would ever think to look. I knew you'd come here to get them, so rather than waste time and energy trying to break your spell, I decided to just wait for you to show up and do it for me."

"Twi, it doesn't have to be this way," Applejack implored her, desperate to avoid a fight, "We're your _friends_!"

"She's right Twilight!" Rainbow chimed in, "We just want to help you!"

"Help me?" Twilight scoffed at them disdainfully, "I don't _need_ your help, nor do I want it. I am the Great and Powerful Twilight, ruler of Equestria!" She reared back and extended her wings, her fiery mane erupting like an explosion. "Bow before me my little ponies, or I shall have no choice but to punish you!"

"Enough!" Celestia lowered her head and narrowed her eyes in an extremely rare display of anger. "I had hoped it would not come to this. Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student, I offer you this final chance. Return the Elements of Harmony and stop this madness, I beg of you."

"Oh you'll beg alright," Twilight lowered her own head, "Beg for mercy. Too bad for you; I'm not feeling especially merciful today."

Her former friends backed away from Celestia as the two winged unicorns faced off. None of them had ever seen Celestia fight before, and they could scarcely believe that the first battle they would witness their Princess fight would be against their own dear friend Twilight Sparkle. It was unbearable.

A stream of raw magical power arced from Celestia's horn and collided with an identical bolt unleashed by Twilight. The stained glass windows that commemorated their victory against Nightmare Moon and Discord _shattered_ from the shockwave released. Both combatants visibly strained themselves, fighting to overwhelm the other's magical assault as the bolts of pure energy crackled and sparked in the air. The other ponies shielded themselves against the hot whipping winds and blinding light.

For a moment it seemed as if Celestia was winning, until Twilight smiled. Her eyes turned from flame red to pure white. The magic coursing forth from her horn surged unstoppably towards Celestia, who grimaced in pain. Then just as suddenly as it had begun, the battle ended. The ponies all stared. Twilight remained standing, her eyes red once more, her breathing as fast as if she'd just taken first place at the Running of the Leaves contest. As for Celestia ...

They all gasped. That was an understatement, really, because Celestia was gone. Where she had been now stood a large potted sunflower.

Twilight Sparkle threw back her head and laughed. Her friends shrank back from her, more afraid of her than they'd ever been before as she strutted towards them.

"Now that _she's_ out of the picture," said Twilight, "there's just one thing left to take care of."

She stopped and struck a regal pose before them. When next she spoke, it was in the booming tones of the Traditional Royal Canterlot Voice, and it struck terror into the hearts of those she had once held nearest and dearest to her own heart.

"BOW BEFORE YOUR QUEEN!"


	9. Dawn of Nightmares

**My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic**

_Starlight Sparkle_

Dawn of Nightmares

* * *

><p>One Week Later<p>

Princess Astra stared at the fragments sadly. She had gathered up the broken window shards depicting the defeat of Nightmare Moon and Discord, reassembling them upon the floor of her new chambers. Twilight and her friends had twice saved Equestria from certain doom, as these images showed. Now however ...

Ever since Celestia had been vanquished by Twilight, Equestria had become trapped in a perpetual state of ... well, _twilight_. Neither fully light nor fully dark. The blue hour, as it was sometimes known. Except that in this case it was lasting a lot longer than an hour. Unless Celestia and Luna were restored somehow, then it would in all likelihood be an eternal twilight.

Oh yes, Luna. Astra had moved into her tower to save herself the trouble of making periodic trips to visit the second sovereign princess. Luna was curled up asleep. She had been sleeping all week, and showed no indication of ever waking up. Nothing anypony tried had been able to elicit a response from her in the slightest beyond the occasional snort or snore. Evidently Twilight had placed her under some kind of powerful enchantment. At least she hadn't been turned into a sunflower like her sister.

Astra sauntered over to the windowsill where said sunflower sat. She had made sure it received plenty of water and light (such as there was), but beyond that there was nothing she could do. For the past week she had made countless attempts to awaken Luna and return Celestia to her original form. It was no use. She simply wasn't powerful enough to break the spells cast upon them. Still she tried.

Now she moved over to a board, upon which was a map of Equestria. It was currently filled with coloured pins, each pin representing a location she had searched for the Elements of Harmony. Thus far she had found nothing. Not a trace of them anywhere. Twilight said she had hidden them somewhere nopony would ever think to look for them. Astra couldn't think where that might be.

She sighed and strolled back to the window, which overlooked the main courtyard of Canterlot Castle. In the centre of it was a new ornamentation created by Queen Twilight. It was a fountain of chocolate milk, with Discord as its centrepiece. Every day the Queen would strut in front of it and taunt Discord. Astra wasn't sure if the ancient draconequus remained aware whilst trapped in his stony prison, but Twilight certainly seemed to think so. Currently, ponies paraded proudly in their armour through the courtyard. Queen Twilight had instituted a military conscription policy, and more ponies were being trained every day. Astra had heard her admit that she had no need of a military, but everypony needed discipline and to learn to follow her orders.

Feeling utterly depressed, Astra dragged her hooves over to Princess Luna and slumped down beside her. When Astra had discovered her last week she had been slumbering upon the floor. Since then, Astra had levitated her onto the rug in front of the fireplace, where she slept even now.

"Oh Luna, I wish you would wake up ..." Astra lamented for perhaps the hundredth time. She didn't know if Luna could hear her or not, but she liked to think that she could. Talking to the sleeping princess sometimes made Astra feel better. Sometimes. It was hard to feel _good_ when you were more or less responsible for putting an evil tyrant on the throne. Twilight had been in charge for only a week and already she ruled Equestria with an iron hoof. Every day royal proclamations were made passing new strict laws that everypony had to obey.

Some _tried_ to defy her. At first. Twilight made an example of them to all the rest, and was generally so terrifying that most ponies were too afraid to do anything but bow down and obey her.

Just as Astra had bowed to her a week ago.

That particular memory still made her feel especially wretched. There they all stood, Twilight's voice booming at them as Princess Celestia relaxed in a flowerpot, and ... Astra's courage gave way. She was the first and only pony present to give in and bow down. Even _Fluttershy_ had shown more courage than Astra, and tried to stand up to Twilight. Astra still did not know what had happened to them. She hadn't seen or heard from any of them all week.

In the end, Astra had remained more or less free and unharmed. Partly because she had bowed down, and partly because Twilight owed her newfound power and attitude to Astra's Starlight Sapphire. Twilight actually seemed to feel Astra had done her a great favour, and so allowed her to come and go as she pleased. Astra had thus used that freedom over the last week to try everything in her power to undo the damage she had caused. Yet nothing could dispel that horrible wretched feeling that all of this was her fault, and that she was an utterly useless coward.

She still remembered the looks of shocked disappointment the others had given her as she strode forward and bowed to Twilight. They haunted her dreams.

"What should I do?" Astra begged Luna, biting her lip with worry. "I can't wake you up. I can't restore Celestia. I haven't the faintest idea where the Elements of Harmony might be. I'm no match for Twilight, either. I mean just look at what she did to the both of you!"

Princess Luna snored on, seemingly oblivious to Astra's comment. On the windowsill Celestia swayed gently in the breeze, unable to speak even if she wanted to. Astra spread herself flat, feeling lower than she ever had before. Could things _get_ any worse?

"Are you okay?"

Astra sat up and looked around. Spike was standing beside her, eyeing her with concern. She gave him a hopeful expression.

"Did you find anything?"

He shook his head sadly. Crestfallen, Astra got up and magically placed another pin in the map over Appleloosa. Sighing wearily she stared at it for a long while, saying nothing. They were running out of places to search. She drooped and turned away from the map.

"Don't keep beating yourself up about this, Astra. It isn't your fault."

Astra tried to glare at him but she didn't have the heart to. Instead she just looked vaguely pathetic. "Do you really believe that Spike?"

Spike looked from her to Luna, then to Celestia. Finally he strolled over to the broken fragments of coloured glass depicting the past victories of his friends. Staring down at them with his little shoulders slumped, he didn't answer. Astra sighed again and turned away from him.

"That's what I thought."

Spike suddenly belched. Eyes wide, Astra rounded on him in time to see him catch the scroll that had materialised in the air. Frowning, the baby dragon unrolled it, his gaze dancing across the parchment as he read.

"What is it?"

"It's a message from Queen Twilight. Uhh ... well, basically she wants you to oversee the preparations for her coronation tomorrow."

Astra felt a fresh stab of guilt. "Oh fantastic. That's just what I need right now."

Spike's own eyes widened as he read on. "Astra! It says here she's holding her coronation in Ponyville!"

That was a shock. Why would she do that? This new Twilight loved to strut about in Canterlot. She'd made it perfectly plain that she thought of Ponyville as unworthy of her royal self. Astra glanced over at the map. Ponyville was one of the very few locations marked on it that did not yet have a pin over it. That was because Astra had not returned there since leaving with Celestia the night everything had happened. She couldn't bear to face the ponies there.

"Are you going to go?" Spike asked.

"What choice do I have?" Astra muttered darkly. "If I refuse she might turn me into a gemstone and feed me to a dragon."

Well then, it looked as if she was off to Ponyville again. Hurrah.

* * *

><p>Astra thanked the pegasus ponies that had pulled the chariot. They departed without a word to return to Canterlot, leaving Astra and Spike standing in the Town Square. There were several other ponies about, none of whom paid her any attention. From the way they hung their heads it looked as if they had a lot on their minds.<p>

"Alright Spike, let's get this over with. What's first on the list?"

Spike peered at the checklist intently. "Says here ... you need to make sure the food for the royal feast is ready." He gasped as he read on. "That's being handled by Applejack!" Spike glanced up from the list, his little face lighting up. "Twilight must not have done anything to punish her after all!"

The first good news Astra had heard all week. Still remembering how to get to Sweet Apple Acres from her last visit there, Astra trotted along the street with a spring in her step. Perhaps Applejack had some idea how to fix this whole mess.

* * *

><p>"Is Applejack here?" Astra asked.<p>

"Eeyup," said Big Macintosh, pointing to the apple orchards where Applejack had taught Astra how to pick apples last week. Astra smiled, oblivious to the sadness in his eyes.

"Thank you!" She trotted off, Spike sitting on her back. As they went the princess cast an excited look back at the baby dragon. "I never imagined that she would just let Applejack go free after what happened. This is great Spike! With her help maybe we can find the Elements."

They finally found the earth pony struggling to pull a basket towards a waiting apple tree, her limbs shaking with the effort. Astra was startled to see that the basket was completely empty. Even she could have moved it without any trouble. She stopped and watched as Applejack eventually succeeded in dragging it into position. Applejack then turned and tried to walk away, but fell over instead.

"AJ?" said Spike, somewhat confused by her behaviour.

"Spike! Astra! There y'are. Just gimme a minute ..."

They watched as she struggled to get up. And struggled. And then finally gave up, collapsing down into an exhausted heap. Astra trotted over and peered down worriedly at her.

"Gosh Applejack, how long have you been working?"

Applejack sighed, her eyes shut. "I'm jus gettin started. Took me all mornin just to drag this basket out here."

Both Astra and Spike regarded the empty basket once more. Finally Astra walked over to it and lifted it up. It was no heavier than usual, and she had little difficulty in lifting or moving it even without using her magic. Frowning, she set it down and moved back to stand over Applejack.

"I don't understand, you're the strongest pony I've ever seen. Why is it giving you so much trouble?"

AJ eventually managed to prize her eyelids open and stared up at the princess. She was sweating from exertion. "I thought you knew. Ever since Twilight cursed me last week, I've barely had the strength to stand, let alone work."

"Oh." Astra winced at her admission. So, Twilight had not simply allowed Applejack to go unpunished. She'd sapped her strength away and left the proud workhorse as weak as a kitten. "In that case you better let me help out; if the preparations for the feast aren't ready on time there's no telling what the Queen might do."

Applejack endeavoured to appear angry, though she was so exhausted that it was a pretty feeble attempt. Nevertheless her eyes flashed dangerously. "Oh of _course_; mustn't disappoint her royal high an mighty majesty now ..." She struggled to stand once more, trembling to an excessive degree for several seconds before giving up and slumping to the ground again.

Astra flashed Spike a miserable look before setting to work collecting the apples. All trace of her earlier excitement had evaporated like morning dew. Just how much suffering had been caused thanks to her actions?

* * *

><p>Next on the checklist was the weather. Rainbow Dash was supposed to be clearing the clouds from the sky for the coronation, but as they could clearly see she had not done so. Spike curbed his earlier enthusiasm upon learning that Rainbow Dash had also returned to Ponyville, and together he and Astra set off to find the pegasus pony.<p>

"Ow! Watch where you're putting your hooves will ya?"

Astra recoiled and looked down. She had unwittingly stepped on the very pony she sought. This was because Dash had flattened herself to the ground. Unlike Applejack, this was not because she was too weak to stand. Astra and Spike watched as she crawled across the ground with remarkable speed. They exchanged confused glances and then hurried to catch up.

"Rainbow Dash?" said Spike, "What are you doing crawling around like that?"

"Oh, hey Spike," Dash said brightly. "Oh, hey Astra," she said darkly. "I'm just getting some exercise. What can I do you for?"

Exercise? Astra blinked several times before speaking. "Well the Queen sent me to oversee the preparations for her coronation tomorrow. It says here you're supposed to be clearing the skies."

Rainbow Dash glanced upwards at said skies. As she did so her gaze filled with panic and she yelped loudly. Screwing her eyes shut, she buried her face in the ground and threw her hooves over her head, her whole body shaking with fear.

"Are you okay Rainbow Dash?" Astra asked tentatively, shooting a quick look upwards to see if there was anything frightening in the air above them. There wasn't, unless you found clouds frightening.

"S-S-Sorry!" Dash whimpered loudly, "Gonna have to take a rain check on that. You mind asking somepony else to do it instead?"

"Why? What's the matter?"

"I'd rather not say."

"C'mon Rainbow Dash, you can tell us," Spike assured her. She slowly lowered her hooves and peered cautiously up at him, her eyes brimming with fear.

"Only if you promise not to laugh."

"We promise," they answered in unison. Dash visibly swallowed before telling them.

"I _can't_ clear the skies because ... because ..."

"Yes?" Astra prompted.

"I'M AFRAID OF HEIGHTS!"

* * *

><p>Astra eventually managed to convince Ditzy Doo to clear the skies above Ponyville before moving on to the next item on the checklist. By now she was feeling even more wretched than she had been earlier, and both she and Spike were dreading their next task.<p>

Carousel Boutique loomed before them. As pretty as it was, Spike and Astra regarded it as if it were the ultimate fortress of doom. They exchanged worried looks.

"Can't we skip this one, Astra?" Spike pleaded, almost on the verge of tears. She shook her head sadly.

"We need to make sure that Rarity has everything she needs to set up the decorations. It's on the list, which means we have to do it."

"But ... but ..." Spike's lips quivered, "I really don't want to see what Twilight has done to Rarity. I don't think I could stand it, Astra. Please don't make me go in there!"

She couldn't blame him, she really couldn't. Wilting like a dying flower, she told him to wait outside while she went in. She opened the door to Carousel Boutique with some trepidation, her heart pounding.

"Rarity? Hello? Are you here?"

"Oh! I recognise that voice. Princess Astra isn't it?" Rarity called out, "Please come on in!"

Astra stared. The inside of the dress shop was a complete mess. It looked as if an attempt had been made to tidy it, albeit a spectacularly unsuccessful one. It was a tip. The fact that Rarity now had a couple of stone pony statues standing around the middle of the floor really didn't help matters.

"Please excuse the mess, I've been meaning to tidy it up but I've been too afraid to take off my blindfold."

"Blindfold?" Astra navigated through the clutter and frowned at the statues. "What do you-" She stopped as Rarity stepped out from behind a screen and very nearly screamed at the sight of her.

"Don't be alarmed, I assure you I have no intention of harming you," Rarity said earnestly, turning her head this way and that as she tried to locate Astra. The princess goggled at her, utterly speechless. She thought that the punishments inflicted upon Applejack and Rainbow Dash were bad, but _this_ ... of all the things Twilight could have done to her friend, this was _the. Worst. Possible. Thing._

Rarity had a beautiful mane, everypony said so. It was thick and lustrous, expertly styled and simply stunning to behold. Not for nothing did Spike swoon at the sight of her. Even Astra had felt attracted towards Rarity when she had first met her. Now though ... her mane had been transformed into a hideous mass of writhing snakes that hissed menacingly. In addition to this Rarity was also wearing a blindfold over her eyes.

"R-Rarity?" Astra breathed, horrified by the sight of her. She gulped and struggled to get a hold of herself. "Umm ... why are you wearing a blindfold?"

Rarity gently felt her way across the floor, testing the ground in front of herself with a careful prod of her hoof. "Oh that. Well that is a bit awkward. You see those two statues there?"

Astra glanced at them. "Yes?"

Rarity gave a hesitant chuckle. "Those were my last customers ..."


	10. A Spark of Friendship

**My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic**

_Starlight Sparkle_

A Spark of Friendship

* * *

><p>"So how's Rarity?" Spike enquired tentatively as Astra emerged from Carousel Boutique. She stopped before him and shot the dress shop a worried glance.<p>

"You don't wanna know. Let's just move on."

Gulping, Spike flourished the checklist and peered at it intently. "Says here you need to make sure the music is all set. It's being handled by ... Vinyl Scratch? But-"

"What is it?"

Spike lowered the list and stared at her, obviously puzzled by something. "Fluttershy should be taking care of the music, but she isn't, and she isn't mentioned anywhere on the list."

"So?"

"So we should go check on her! If she hasn't been given a job to do don't you wanna know why?" Spike scrunched up the checklist and shuddered as he pondered the implications. "Maybe Twilight did something _really _terrible to her. Like ... made her explode!"

Astra regarded the little dragon dubiously. "Explode? Really?" She studied his deeply worried expression for a moment before sighing. "Okay, let's go check on her. You'll have to lead the way little guy, I don't know where to find this one."

Spike led her to a cottage at the edge of the Everfree forest that was teeming with wildlife. She became aware of dozens of sets of eyes watching her as they approached the structure, and passed a chicken run at one point. Once at the door she banged a hoof against it to knock. A creamy yellow earth pony with an orange mane answered, startling Spike.

"Carrot Top?"

"Hello Spike. Haven't seen you around in a while."

"Why are you in Fluttershy's cottage? Where is she? Did something happen to her? Is she okay?"

Carrot Top blinked at the barrage of questions. When they had subsided she gave a little sigh and strolled past Spike and Astra. "This way. It's easier if I just show you."

They exchanged worried glances at that but followed the earth pony all the same. She led them around the back of the cottage and stopped before a small tree.

"There she is."

Unicorn and dragon stared at her in incomprehension. They both cast searching gazes about for some sign of the timid pegasus pony, but of Fluttershy they could find no trace. Astra frowned at her whilst Spike shrugged.

"Where? I don't see her," he said. Carrot Top gestured towards the tree she had stopped next to.

"_That's _Fluttershy."

They both regarded the tree for a moment. It was definitely a tree, and not, say, a pegasus disguised as a tree. It had branches. Leaves. It even looked as if it had roots in the ground. Spike and Astra glanced at each other as if worried she might be losing it.

"That's a tree," Astra pointed out slowly, careful not to antagonise the possibly doollaly pony. Carrot Top rolled her eyes and gestured again.

"Take a closer look at the leaves. Notice the colour?"

They did. Now that she mentioned it, the leaves were a soft shade of pink. The trunk of the tree was also a sort of pale yellow. Astra's eyes grew wide with horror as the realisation struck her.

"Oh no she didn't ..."

"Oh yes she did," Carrot Top countered sadly.

Twilight had turned Fluttershy into a tree. An actual honest to goodness _tree_. Astra groaned, her head drooping low, whilst Spike rushed forwards and hugged Fluttershy.

"I've been helping take care of the animals here," Carrot Top explained further, "We've all been taking turns. Which reminds me, if you see that little white rabbit hopping about, let me know will you?"

Marvellous. Twilight had sapped Applejack's strength, made Rainbow Dash terrified of heights, turned Rarity into a Gorgon and planted Fluttershy in the ground. That just left Pinkie Pie. With the way things were going Astra wouldn't be all that surprised if _she_ had exploded.

* * *

><p>Neither of them felt much like going to Sugarcube Corner to see what fate had befallen Pinkie, so instead they adjourned to the library. Astra wanted to collect some of her things that she had left from her previous visit, and they still had to do the final item on the checklist.<p>

"Let me guess," she muttered sullenly as she magically tided away the books strewn across the floor, "She wants me to rearrange the stars so that they spell out 'ALL HAIL QUEEN TWILIGHT'."

Spike was too depressed to snigger at that. He stared dumbly at the final item on the checklist instead. "She wants you to write her coronation speech."

"Oh is that all?" Astra gave a very fake laugh. "A speech. So I'm a speechwriter now. Will the fun never end?"

The door to the library barged open and a pink earth pony strode in. It took them both a shocked moment to realise that it was Pinkie Pie. She was carrying a cake box in her mouth, which she set down in front of Astra. Gone was the bouncing exuberant party pony Astra had come to know during her brief stay in Ponyville. In her place was a grim gloomy Gus with a flat mane and twitchy eyes. They twitched twice as Pinkie glared at Astra.

"There's your coronation cake, as ordered, your _highness_."

"Pinkie Pie, what's wrong?" Spike asked, dreading the answer even as he posed the question. He'd only ever seen Pinkie like this once before; when she was convinced her friends were avoiding her and didn't want to be friends with her anymore. Pinkie Pie lowered her head level with Spike's, gritting her teeth together as she growled an answer.

"What's wrong you ask? I'll tell you what's _wrong_ little Spikey; For an entire week the Pinkie Pie hasn't been able to smile, sing or even laugh. _That's_ what's _wrong_!"

"Why not?" Astra asked, bewildered by her complete change in demeanour. Pinkie raised her head and fixed Astra with a glare that could have melted the frosted icing on a cake at twenty paces. With a tremendous strain she forced herself to smile, her eye twitching constantly as she did so. As soon as a smile 'graced' her features they heard an audible _crack_, and Pinkie's entire body shook as if she were having a seizure. When it stopped, smoke curled from her mane and her eyes turned crooked. She shook her head to straighten them and pasted a resigned grimace upon her face once more.

"Whoa! What was that?" Spike asked, stunned.

"That was Twilight's parting gift," Pinkie muttered gloomily, "Every time I smile, every time I laugh or try to sing, I get the nastiest shock of my pretty pony life. I've been this way for a whole _week_, and it looks like I'll be stuck this way forever." She inhaled sharply and then bellowed loudly right into Astra's face. "FOREVER!"

With that she turned and stomped out of the library, slamming the door on the way out. The tremor caused a book to topple from one of the shelves and crash to the floor. Spike stared after her for a long moment and blinked several times.

"Gosh," was all he could think to say to that.

Astra had once read the description 'a bottomless pit of despair' and thought the pony who wrote it was exaggerating. Now she knew exactly what they had meant, because she was feeling it right now. She levitated the cake box and set it on a table, before dragging herself over to tidy away the book Pinkie had knocked from the shelf. As she lifted the volume she discovered a sealed scroll lying beside it. Frowning, she floated it up and unrolled it, scanning the contents.

"Spike, what is this?"

The dragon strolled over to her side and peered at the scroll. "Oh! That looks like one of Twilight's friendship reports."

"Friendship reports?"

Spike nodded. "Whenever Twilight learned something new about the magic of friendship, she would write a letter to Princess Celestia and then I would send it. I guess this one never got sent because she got distracted with your arrival and all. Huh. Guess there's no point sending it now; it's not like Princess Celestia is in any state to read it."

Astra read and then reread the letter. A friendship report? The magic of friendship? So ... Twilight frequently wrote things like this and sent them to Celestia. Astra had no idea.

Somewhere deep within the dark recesses of her mind a tiny spark of inspiration flared, like a star twinkling in an otherwise starless sky.

"Spike!" Astra shouted suddenly, startling the poor little dragon, "Fetch me some ink and parchment. I've got a speech to write!"

She had a plan. It was a long shot. It was the longest of long longshots. If it didn't work - and she really had little reason to believe that it would - then she would be effectively signing her own death warrant. But on the other hoof there was a very very very very very _very_ very very _VERY_ slim chance that it might work, in which case Astra _might_ just be able to fix this horrible mess.

She had to try.


	11. Your Faithful Student

**My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic**

_Starlight Sparkle_

Your Faithful Student

* * *

><p>It was technically night by the time the inhabitants of Ponyville gathered in the pavilion for the Queen's coronation, but neither the sun nor the moon had been seen in Equestria all week. Not since Twilight's take over. Tonight was no exception, and the sky maintained the same starry dawn hue that was the norm now.<p>

"Where's Applejack?" Astra said as she watched ponies trudge past her and Spike. The little dragon pointed excitedly.

"Over there, look! Ha! I knew they could do it!"

Spike had asked the Cutie Mark Crusaders to bring AJ to the coronation, as the earth pony was too weak to make her own way there. Nor was she even inclined to. The Crusaders were themselves reluctant to attend as the new Queen utterly terrified them. When Astra explained that their help could potentially save Equestria however, they had immediately perked up and leapt to the task.

And here they came now, riding Scootaloo's scooter with Applejack loaded sullenly into the trolley on the back. They skidded to a stop before Astra and Spike, Scootaloo giving them a salute.

"It wasn't easy Princess, but we brought her!"

AJ glowered at Astra. "You! Ah might have known you were behind this. Tell them to turn this thing round and take me back home right this second y'hear!" Applejack struggled to clamber out of the trolley, but this went about as well as an upturned turtle trying to right itself. She flailed about ineffectually for several seconds before running out of steam. "Darn it, this jus aint funny!"

Apple Bloom was inclined to disagree, and snorted with laughter at her big sister's efforts. "That's where yer wrong sis, it's plenty funny! 'Sides, it's for a good cause. We're gonna save Equestria from evil Queen Twilight."

"What in tarnation are you talkin about? Astra, jus _what_ is this meanin of this?"

"No time to explain, sorry," she brushed the question aside, "If all goes according to plan then you'll have your answer. Girls, put her front row centre, right next to Fluttershy."

Spike and Astra watched as the Cutie Mark Crusaders deposited a protesting Applejack on the ground besides a large cart, which was positioned in front of the pavilion stage. The cart was loaded with soil and currently contained the replanted Fluttershy. Applejack scowled at her little sister as she and her friends scurried away.

"Hey AJ," said Rainbow Dash, who peered out from beneath the cart containing Fluttershy. It took Applejack several seconds to locate the pegasus.

"Rainbow! What's goin on?"

"Search me. Astra levitated me up into the air and wouldn't let me down until I agreed to come to this stupid coronation. She's definitely up to something."

She was, and she fervently hoped that it was going to work. She didn't want to imagine what Twilight would do to her as punishment if it didn't. Spike ticked off AJ's name on the list he held.

"That just leaves Pinkie Pie and Rarity. How did you convince them to come along?"

Astra spotted the two ponies in question enter the pavilion, Rarity following behind Pinkie by gripping the earth pony's tail in her mouth, as she was still blindfolded. Pinkie did not look happy. Then again she _couldn't_ look happy, because of the shock she'd receive if she did. Astra swallowed nervously.

"I told them that Twilight needs their help."

Spike seemed puzzled by that. "But ... Twilight's the one that did these terrible things to them."

Astra frowned and shook her head. "No Spike, she didn't. It might look like Twilight but it's no more her than Nightmare Moon is Luna. Whatever dark magic transformed Luna also transformed Twilight, and the real Twilight Sparkle is trapped inside somewhere." She sighed heavily, her face lined with worry. "I just have to hope I can reach her."

Pinkie strolled past Astra, casting the princess a very brief sideways glance as she did so. It was the kind of look that said 'I don't want to be here one bit, so you better have been on the level'. Amazing how much a split second glance could convey, really. Spike ticked both names off the list with a flourish.

"That's the last of them."

The pavilion was crowded with the inhabitants of Ponyville, none of whom looked all that thrilled to be there. Least of all Twilight's former friends, who Astra had made sure were at the very front of the crowd. It was essential that the Queen see them when she gave her speech. Several ponies backed away from Rarity as she settled into place, cringing at the hissing snakes on her head. She turned this way and that, unable to see a thing because of her blindfold.

"What's going on? Has it started yet?"

They all heard trumpets sound outside, heralding the arrival of Queen Twilight at long last. Everypony present visibly tensed, and Astra could hardly blame them. Her own stomach was full of butterflies, metaphorically speaking. Everything hinged on the speech. Doubt began to creep into her mind, nagging at her with worry. What if it wasn't good enough? She was hardly an expert on the subject, and had very little experience in such matters. Would it really work?

"Here goes ..." Spike muttered, hastily shoving the list out of sight. Astra gulped and turned to watch the entrance to the pavilion. There was no going back, and no time left to change anything. It was now or never. If Celestia weren't currently a sunflower sitting on her windowsill back in Canterlot, Astra would have sent a silent prayer to the princess. As it was all she could do was wait and see. And hope she'd done enough.

The Queen's Royal Guard entered first, and everypony was shocked when they recognised the unmistakable sight of the Wonderbolts. Equestria's top pegasus team - now decked out in gleaming armour - marched into the pavilion and formed an escort detail. Moments later Twilight herself appeared, her uniformly red eyes sweeping the pavilion interior before coming to rest upon Astra.

"Everything has been prepared just as you asked, Your Majesty," Astra bowed along with everypony else as Twilight approached her.

"Asked?" Twilight said, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Instructed," Astra corrected herself. The Queen relaxed somewhat and nodded, striding majestically onwards and taking to the stage. As Astra stood her gaze met that of Spitfire. Unable to help herself she winked at the pegasus, whose own eyes widened in response. Saying nothing, Astra turned about hoof and followed Twilight up onto the stage. She kept to one side however while the Queen stood at the very front in order to address everypony present.

"CITIZENS OF PONYVILLE!" Twilight's words boomed out in the Traditional Royal Canterlot Voice, causing everypony present to cower, save for her own guards. "WE HAVE GRACED YOUR INSIGNIFICANT LIVES WITH OUR PRESENCE SO THAT YOU MIGHT BEAR WITNESS TO THE GLORY OF OUR MAJESTY! TONIGHT WE SHALL OFFICIALLY BE CROWNED QUEEN OF EQUESTRIA, AND CELEBRATE THE BEGINNING OF OUR ETERNAL SOVEREIGNTY OVER ALL OF PONY KIND! REMEMBER THIS MOMENT WELL, FOR IT MARKS THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA!"

Twilight finally seemed to notice her former friends gathered before the stage, watching her with a mixture of fear and hatred. At least, Rainbow, AJ and Pinkie were; Fluttershy was a tree and lacked the means to watch anything, hatefully or otherwise, and Rarity couldn't see a thing with her eyes covered. In any case seeing them all, cursed as they were, brought a thoroughly wicked smile to Twilight's cruel features. Astra realised that one of the reasons she was holding her coronation here in Ponyville rather than Canterlot was because she wanted to further rub it all in her friends faces. They couldn't lift a hoof to stop her and she knew it.

A short ceremony followed, in which the Mayor of Ponyville took a golden tiara from a red velvet cushion and placed it upon Twilight's head. She burned her hooves on the Queen's fiery mane as she did so, which only seemed to amuse Twilight further. Finally Queen Twilight stood at the front of the stage once more, behind a special stand that had been placed there. All eyes fell upon Astra, who swallowed one last time and trotted forwards to place the speech she had prepared upon the stand for Twilight to read. Surrounded by an aura of magic, the scrolls slid into place. Astra hastily backed away and held her breath.

This was it. The moment of truth. It all hinged on what happened next. The fate of Equestria lay with the words she had written down on those scrolls. The Queen cleared her throat and began to read.

"DEAR QUEEN TWILIGHT," she began. She stopped and blinked, surprised by the words she had just spoken. Behind her and off to one side, Astra was holding her breath so tightly that she nearly fainted. Unless Twilight read on she was finished. Doomed. The ponies packing the pavilion all forgot their fear momentarily, bewildered by this strange start to Twilight's coronation speech. She stared intently at the parchment in front of her and then very slowly continued to read it aloud.

"I HAVE FINALLY REALISED the real reason I was sent to Ponyville. I was told by Celestia that it was to learn magic from her star student, and this much was certainly true. There was more to it than that, however. There is a special type of magic that I had never studied or even understood until now. A kind of magic that is more important than all the unicorn spells in the Canterlot library of magic combined ..."

Everypony was listening with rapt attention, stunned by the words Twilight Sparkle was saying. Rainbow, Pinkie, AJ and Rarity in particular were amazed by what they were hearing. Astra finally allowed herself the luxury of breathing before she passed out. Twilight went on.

"It is called the magic of friendship, and it is truly a wondrous magic indeed. The magic of friendship is an integral part of everypony's life and is something that should be nurtured and treasured at all costs. Princess Celestia knew exactly what she was doing by sending me to Ponyville, and to you, because nopony in all of Equestria understands the value of friendship as well as you do. It helped you to vanquish Nightmare Moon and Discord, saving us all from eternal darkness and chaos. It has brought you endless joy and fun, and taught you many important lessons.

"In Canterlot I hid away from the world, burying myself in my studies and books, believing as I did that friendship was something I did not need. Yet seeing you with all your friends made me realise just what I had been missing out on. Celestia hoped this would be the case, and you did everything you could to help me take those first steps towards forging friendships. I can only hope to someday be as rich in friends as you, and if I ever have friends as kind, strong, loyal and caring as those ponies that you count as _your_ friends, I shall be a very lucky pony indeed.

"You see Twilight, you have taught me the most valuable lesson you possibly could. You taught me about the magic of friendship, and to embrace it to the fullest. And I intend to do just that. You have my eternal gratitude.

"They say that a picture paints a thousand words, so here are a thousand words that perfectly sum up everything I have learned about friendship. Your faithful student, Princess Astra."

Twilight removed the top scroll and stared at the one that lay underneath. Taped to it was a photograph that she had intended to send to Princess Celestia, but had forgotten.

It was a picture of herself and all of her friends, smiling brightly.

Twilight Sparkle glanced up from that picture and saw those same friends staring at her. But where the ponies in the picture were smiling and happy, the ponies standing before her each showed some sign of her magical wrath. Rarity with her mane of snakes. Applejack with scarcely the strength to sit upright. Pinkie Pie with her twitching eye and flat hair. Rainbow Dash cowering close to the ground. And of course Fluttershy, who wasn't even a pony anymore.

And there, right in front of her, a thousand words that could be succinctly reduced to one all important word.

Friends.

There was a chorus of gasps throughout the pavilion. They had been listening to everything Twilight had said, and whilst the assembled ponies could not see the picture that had been mentioned, they all witnessed the transformation that overcame Twilight at that moment. Gone was the towering white unicorn with the flaming mane and red eyes. In its place was the purple pony they all knew, smoke gently rising from her singed hair.

Twilight Sparkle.

Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over onto the photograph, great fat droplets that splashed as they hit the glossy picture. Twilight wept with despair as the full realisation of everything she'd done over the last week hit her in that moment.

A series of magical pops showered her friends, and more gasps sounded as each of them returned to normal. Rarity's mane became its former gorgeous glory. Rainbow Dash sat upright, glanced about for a moment and then tentatively flapped her wings for the first time in a week. Pinkie Pie's mane inflated with a sound like a balloon being blown up, and a broad smile spread across her face like a fresh sunrise. Applejack stood and stretched, then leapt onto the arms of the cart containing Fluttershy. Fluttershy, who was a tree no longer, found herself propelled onstage. She let out a squeak of alarm but quickly recovered, shook a handful of pink leaves from her mane and gently prodded Twilight.

"Oh Twilight, don't cry. Everything's going to be okay."

Twilight Sparkle nevertheless collapsed into a sobbing heap, and her friends rushed onto the stage to comfort her. The assembled ponies of Ponyville all began to cheer as they realised that she was back to her normal self at last, whilst Astra dropped onto her rump and let out a tremendous sigh of relief.

It was over. Broken fragments of the Starlight Sapphire lay scattered around Twilight, dark wisps of energy curling from them and evaporating into nothingness. As if to confirm the return to normality, somepony cried out and pointed upwards.

The moon had finally risen.


	12. Teacher's Pet

**My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic**

_Starlight Sparkle_

Teacher's Pet

* * *

><p>The next few days were like the aftermath of a miserable storm now that Twilight's Queenly reign of terror was over. It was a relief to finally see the sun again after its week long absence, though Twilight herself was too preoccupied to fully enjoy it. She spent her time trying to apologise to every single pony she possibly could, as she felt just terrible about what had happened.<p>

It wasn't really her fault, a fact that her friends were quick to point out to her. The Starlight Sapphire would have made anypony evil, and it only chose her because she was the most powerful pony it could find. In fact if Twilight had not leapt in front of Celestia at the crucial moment, then it likely would have been Celestia herself corrupted by the sapphire's dark magics. Had that happened then things could very well have turned out much _worse_. The idea of a nightmarish evil Celestia didn't bear thinking about.

Twilight knew this, but that still didn't make her feel any better. She remembered everything she had done whilst under the gem's dark influence. Every insult, every punishment, even the cringe worthy bombastic speeches she had delivered. It might not have actually been her who did all those things, but from her point of view it certainly _felt _like it had. She had been a prisoner inside her own body whilst a malevolent presence pulled at her strings.

Celestia was remarkably understanding, all things considered. It probably helped that her own sister had undergone the exact same kind of transformation. If anything the princess was relieved that Twilight had been returned to her normal self rather than being banished for a thousand years. Had they been forced to use the Elements of Harmony against her without Twilight herself being one of the wielders, the end result might not have been a happy one.

In any case Celestia made certain everypony understood that Twilight was not to blame for what had happened. There would be no angry reprisals or calls for Twilight to be punished. Whilst that was a relief, her own guilty conscience was doing a good enough job of punishing her as it was. All she wanted to do besides apologise was hide away out of shame and embarrassment, but her friends would have none of it. They made it perfectly plain that they did not hold a grudge against her, and made certain that Twilight understood she was still their friend. Pinkie Pie decided to throw a celebratory party at Sugarcube Corner, with Twilight as the guest of honour.

And what a party it was. Pinkie had been bottling up her natural party animal instincts for a whole week, and she had a lot of catching up to do. It was a huge affair, with dozens of Ponyvillians present eager to have fun after a week of fear and gloom.

"How are you holding up?" Twilight asked Astra, who had managed to suppress the urge to teleport bail on the party. She smiled nervously back.

"It's a little overwhelming," the princess confessed, "but not half as scary as you were."

Twilight grimaced and stared at the floor. "_Really_ sorry about that."

"Not your fault, we keep telling you."

Twilight lifted her gaze and smiled back. "I've actually been meaning to thank you, Astra."

"For what?"

"For snapping me out of it. If it hadn't been for that friendship report you wrote, I'd probably still be taunting Discord and passing royal proclamations right now. Thank you. I really owe you."

Astra waved a dismissive hoof at her remark. "Nonsense. If anything I'm the one who owes you, Twilight. Look!" She gestured to indicate the party in full swing about them and managed to grin despite her uneasiness. "I'm at a party! The last time I was at a party I fell into the river to get away from it. If it weren't for you I'd be hiding away from things like this. Now though, I'm determined to meet new ponies and make some friends."

"I'm so glad to hear that," said Celestia as she approached Astra and Twilight. She looked her old (which is to say magnificent) self again, a sunflower no more. They both rounded on her, startled.

"Princess!" Twilight exclaimed, running up to meet her teacher excitedly. "I didn't realise you were coming."

"That's quite alright Twilight," Celestia assured her soothingly, "I just came to congratulate you on a job well done."

She blinked at that, puzzled. "I ... err, don't quite follow."

Celestia glanced over at Astra. "Spike sent me Astra's friendship report earlier today. I'm given to understand that it was largely responsible for breaking the Starlight Sapphire's hold over you." She turned back to Twilight and smiled warmly at her star pupil. "It would seem that you performed the task I assigned you admirably. Astra was quite correct - I did indeed send her to learn about the magic of friendship from you. Given the report she wrote, and the statement she just made about her newfound desire to make friends, I would say that you taught her very well. Thank you Twilight Sparkle."

By now the partying ponies were all watching and listening intently, and at this Twilight's friends cheered for her. She looked away bashfully, embarrassed by the praise. After all she'd done she certainly didn't feel like she deserved it. Celestia now turned her attention to Astra.

"Princess Astra, we all owe you our thanks for freeing Twilight Sparkle from Nightmare Moon's magic. I am especially grateful to you for returning my student to me unharmed. Your method for resolving the situation was most admirable."

Now it was Astra's turn to shy away in embarrassment. "Thank you, Princess."

"As much as I'm sure you would like to resume your studies with Twilight, I am sorry to say that she cannot continue to remain your teacher," Celestia went on, "I must therefore ask you to accompany me back to Canterlot."

This was met with a resounding silence. Crestfallen, Astra exchanged a heartbroken look with Twilight before turning her soulful eyes upon the princess. "But ... why?"

"Twilight Sparkle is my student," Celestia explained, "And as talented and wise as she is, she must still focus upon her own studies. It would not be fair of me to ask her to continue to accept the burden of teaching you as well."

"But Princess, I really don't mind!" Twilight insisted, trotting over to stand by Astra's side. Celestia regarded both unicorns kindly.

"Thank you for the offer Twilight Sparkle, but that will not be necessary. You need not worry, for I have found a new teacher who is more than willing to accept the responsibility of educating my niece. Someone I believe you are both quite familiar with."

Astra and Twilight exchanged looks, both ponies frowning as they tried to work out who Celestia meant.

"I speak of course of my sister, Luna."

"Luna?" they said in unison, mutually surprised at this revelation. Celestia bowed her head slightly to indicate that this was so.

"My dear sister has expressed a desire to get to know Astra better. She was very impressed with the way Astra resolved the recent crisis, and told me that she would like to take it upon herself to have Astra as her personal protégé. Just as you, Twilight Sparkle, are mine."

"Wow!" the pair exclaimed together in astonishment. As sad as Astra would be to leave Ponyville, this news did at least soften the blow somewhat.

"And of course you can always visit Twilight and her friends whenever you wish," Celestia added brightly.

"Or we could come and visit you in Canterlot!" Rarity piped in suddenly and rather gleefully, drawing startled looks from everypony. She smiled back at them all sheepishly. "What?"

"Oh thank you Princess!" Astra beamed, then turned and hugged Twilight. "And thank you, Twilight. I wont forget what you've taught me. You're the best friend a pony could ask for."

Twilight giggled and hugged her back. "It was my pleasure. Just try not to let Princess Luna intimidate you; she's a good pony at heart, and I think she could use a new friend just as much as you."

Before they could say anything further Pinkie Pie bounced forwards enthusiastically, brimming with boundless joy. "This calls for a celebration!"

"Err, Pinkie Pie? We're _already _celebrating," Rainbow Dash pointed out, gesturing to indicate the streamers and party food. Pinkie jumped up and down on the spot and laughed merrily.

"Well then what are we all standing around for? Let's PAR-TAY! Come on ladies, who wants to play pin the tail on the pony?"

Rarity's eyes gleamed with excitement and she rushed forwards eagerly. "Oh! Me!" She stopped as Pinkie handed her a blindfold, her face screwing up as it brought back a particularly unpleasant memory.

"On second thoughts ... I think I might pass."

* * *

><p>"Here you go," said Spike, stifling a yawn, "One cup of hot chocolate with extra marshmallows."<p>

Twilight pointed her horn and magically lifted the steaming mug from his hands, setting it down on the stand beside her. "Thanks Spike. You should go get some sleep, it's really late. Owlicious will help me out if I need anything else."

The baby dragon yawned widely this time and rubbed at his sleepy eyes. "Sounds like a good idea. You shouldn't stay up all night though. Ponies need sleep too y'know."

Twilight chuckled, touched by his concern. "Don't worry, I wont. It's a nice night though, and I just want to look at the stars a little before I turn in."

She was seated before her telescope, a collection of star charts set out neatly next to her cup of hot chocolate. After recent events she couldn't help but take a little extra time to admire the stars in the night sky. She wondered briefly if Astra was doing the same thing in Canterlot. Spike stared up at the twinkling stars himself, frowning at them. Twilight asked him what was wrong.

"Ahh, I guess it's nothing. You were right though, Twilight. Those UFEs and crop circles turned out to have a magical explanation after all. No aliens involved."

Twilight smirked. "You almost sound disappointed."

He shrugged. "It was just nice to think that there might be something ... y'know, out there. To know that we're not alone in the universe."

Twilight blinked at the sleepy little dragon, surprised by him. "Wow Spike, that sounds kinda ... well, deep. You really think there could be intelligent life out there?"

"Don't you?"

Twilight looked up at the starry sky once more and fell silent, not sure what to say. It was an interesting question. Might there be ponies on another planet somewhere? Perhaps looking up at the stars just as she was, wondering the same thing? And if there were, just what would they be like?

"You know Spike, I think there might be. But one thing I'm _sure _of is that there are _no_ alien equines in Equestria ..."

* * *

><p>Ponywell, New Filly<p>

Thick clouds of noxious smoke poured from the wreckage of the gleaming saucer, a trail of scattered debris littering the desert floor leading up to it. Ponies clad entirely in black snapped pictures of it, whilst others set up a black and yellow tape perimeter. Agents Muldavia and Skulduggery stared at the wreckage in silence, both thinking the same thing.

They turned as they heard a noise and found themselves facing a bright blue pony box. It opened and Doctor Geronimo strode out to greet them, putting on a pair of sunglasses to shield his eyes from the harsh glare of the sun.

"What?" he said when they continued to stare at him for several seconds longer than normal. He followed their gaze upwards and frowned. "It's a Stetson. I wear a Stetson now. Stetsons are cool, okay?"

"Doctor, we believe we have discovered the remains of an EBE - an Extraterrestrial Biological Equine. We need you to examine it and tell us what you think," said Agent Skulduggery. Doctor Geronimo beamed at him.

"Certainly! I can do that. Because I'm clever and ... stuff. Lead the way!"

He followed them into the wreckage of the saucer, CIA unicorns using their magic to clear the worst of the smoke away. The technology that had gone into building the crashed craft was obviously far ahead of anything Equestrian. Eventually they reached a section of the saucer that had been gouged open by prolonged high speed contact with the ground. Nestling amidst the exposed workings of the craft and sheared metal plating lay the EBE.

"Oooh, that's interesting ..." The Doctor clambered over a twisted bulkhead to get a better look at the thing. It had the general appearance of a large dark pepperpot, with a plunger and a whisk attached around the midsection. He lowered his horn and concentrated, casting a bright green glow from the tip. Sparks erupted from the thing and it made various sizzling noises, but that was all.

"Doctor, please be careful," Agent Muldavia warned. Geronimo rounded on him and treated him to a haughty expression of self-assured confidence.

"Careful? I'm the _Doctor_. I know exactly what I'm doing."

There was a dreadful sound of screeching metal behind him as the pepperpot came to life and rose up slowly into the air, a cold blue light emanating from an eyestalk like protrusion at the top. Doctor Geronimo didn't turn around, as he could see the look of abject horror upon the faces of his colleagues quite well enough to know what was going on. He swallowed nervously and removed his sunglasses.

"As I was saying ... RUN."

The Stetson was blasted from the Doctor's head as he galloped past the two CIA ponies, the pepperpot's shrill mechanical voice blaring at them as it continued to fire.

"Exterminate! Exterminate! EXTERMINATE!"


End file.
